Baseball 4/21/01 -- St. Thomas 11-2, Augsburg 3-1 

Boxscore Game 1
Boxscore Game 2

STORY FROM ST. THOMAS SPORTS INFORMATION
ST. PAUL, Minn. (4/21/01) -- Senior Jake Mauer had three hits on the day to become the University of St. Thomas' career hits leader with 209 and help the Tommies win an Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader against visiting Augsburg College on Saturday.

Mauer went 2-for-4 and scored twice in the 11-3 game-one victory, then drove in a run and was 1-for-3 in a 2-1 victory in the nightcap. Mauer surpassed Tommie All-American Steve Pignato's hit total of 208.

UST (21-3 overall, 9-1 MIAC), ranked No. 1 nationally in the ABCA Division III coaches' poll, ran its win streak to nine. The sweep, coupled with St. Mary's 7-1 and 2-1 home sweep of St. Olaf, moved the Toms into sole possession of the conference lead at the halfway point. St. Olaf and St. Mary's are both one game back at 8-2. Augsburg, now 15-15 overall and 1-7 in the MIAC, has lost seven of its last eight games, all in conference play.

In game two, Augsburg (15-15, 1-7) scored once and had the tying and go-ahead runners on base in the top of the seventh. But Tommie first-baseman Nate Sundberg reached high and caught a liner by Auggie Sammy Gross to end the game.

The Toms took a 1-0 lead in the third. Brad Bonine doubled, took third on Tony Wolverton's bunt single and scored on Mauer's infield grounder. Wolverton later was tagged out at home trying to score on a wild pitch to end the inning.

UST made it 2-0 in the fourth on Scott Christiansen's single, Casey Garven's double and Matt Buzzell's RBI squeeze bunt.

Tommie freshman Mike Ramthun pitched the first six innings and allowed no runs on one hit and one walk. Freshman Sean Lindstrom came on in relief to start the seventh. He retired the first batter on a hard liner, but Ryan Krautkremer reached first when Sundberg dropped a throw for an error. Rich Storholm doubled to put runners at second and third. UST junior Brian Whinnery came on in relief and surrendured an RBI infield hit to Nick Sherry that cut the lead to 2-1. With runners at first and second, Frank Huebner grounded out to first, which advanced the runners to second and third. But Gross' liner was snared by Sundberg to preserve the Tommie win.

Auggie senior pitcher Nic Shelby (5-3) took the loss, despite allowing just five hits and two walks over six innings.

In the first game, the Toms scored four runs in the first inning and four more in the second en route to a 10-0 lead. UST junior pitcher Bryan Edstrom (6-0) improved his career record to 17-1 as he pitched five shutout innings and allowed two hits and two walks, hit a batter and struck out four.

Beside's Mauer's 2-for-4 effort, Buzzell was 2-for-2 and walked twice; Wolverton and Mark Fenstad each went 2-for-4 with an RBI; and John Bean added a pitch-hit RBI double.

Augsburg hosts Gustavus Adolphus in a MIAC doubleheader Sunday (4/22) at 1 p.m. at Parade Stadium.

Game One
Augsburg 000 003 0 -- 3-6-6
St. Thomas 440 201 x --11-13-2
Krautkremer, Bauer (3) and Gross;
Edstrom, Kelly (6), Huckins (7) and Olson, Nelson (7)
WP--Edstrom (6-0). LP--Krautkremer

Game Two
Augsburg 000 000 1 -- 1-3-0
St. Thomas 001 100 x-- 2-5-1
Shelby and Gross;
Ramthun, Lindstrom (7), Whinnery (7) and Olson
WP--Ramthun (3-0). LP--Shelby (5-3). Save-Whinnery (3)