Baseball 3/8/01 -- Augsburg 7-5, Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 4-6
Boxscore Game 1
Boxscore Game 2
MINNEAPOLIS (3/8/01) -- Pat Marsh (Jr., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) had three hits and an RBI to lead Augsburg College, and Taylor Gantt (Jr., Denver, Colo./Thomas Jefferson HS) had three hits and two RBI to lead Dakota Wesleyan University, as the teams split a nonconference baseball doubleheader Thursday afternoon at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.
Augsburg won the first game 7-4 to notch their sixth victory in a row, but the streak was snapped in the second game, as Dakota Wesleyan rallied for a 6-5 win. Augsburg is now 6-2 overall, while Dakota Wesleyan is now 3-7.
The Auggies rallied with a three-run fifth inning to take a lead they would not relinquish in the first game. Mike Schwalen (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Richfield HS) drove in a run on a single, Rich Storholm (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./St. Louis Park HS) drove in Schwalen on his second triple of the season, and Ryan Krautkremer (Jr., Waseca, Minn.) notched his team-leading fourth double of the season -- and second of the game -- to drive in Storholm.
Russ Bauer (So., Faribault, Minn.), pitching in relief of Auggie starter Chris Zweber (Sr., Faribault, Minn.), claimed the pitching victory, allowing three hits and no runs.
Marsh went 2-for-3 with a run scored at the plate for the Auggies, while Adam Dittrich (Sr., New Ulm, Minn./Minnesota Valley Lutheran HS) went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Sammy Gross (So., Springfield, Minn.) had a triple and scored on an error, driving in two runs in the second inning.
Jeremy Nielsen (Jr., Moscow, Idaho) took the pitching loss for the Tigers, despite striking out three. Gantt, Ray Peterson (Sr., Deer Lodge, Mont.) and Zach Watkins (Jr., Plum City, Wis.) had two hits apiece for the Tigers in the first game.
Trailing 5-3 in the second game, the Tigers forged ahead with a three-run sixth inning, taking advantage of three singles, a wild pitch and passed ball. Pinch hitter Luke Norden (So., Canon City, Colo.) drove in a run on a single, and Gantt drove in two runs on a single to right field.
Eric Garcia (Sr., Alamosa, Colo.) pitched a complete-game victory for the Tigers, striking out four while walking six. Peterson scored two runs for the Tigers.
Augsburg was paced by Dave Sherry (Jr., Hastings, Minn.), who drove in two runs on two hits, scoring twice. Krautkremer scored two runs.
Augsburg gave two freshmen pitchers their first collegiate action on the mound in the second game. Blake Chaffee (Fr., Hinckley, Minn./Hinckley-Finlayson HS) struck out four in three innings of work, while Joe Pontrelli (Fr., Eagan, Minn.) also struck out four in two-plus innings. Nick Rathmann (So., Waseca, Minn.) finished for the Auggies, striking out two.
Augsburg returns to action with their final doubleheader at the Metrodome, hosting Wartburg (Iowa), ranked No. 8 in the NCAA Division III national polls, on Friday at 7 a.m. Dakota Wesleyan returns to action on March 16 at 2 p.m., opening Great Plains Athletic Conference play with a doubleheader at Concordia-Nebraska.
