Baseball 5/7/01 -- Augsburg 9-5, Macalester 10-4 

Boxscore Game 1 
Boxscore Game 2

MINNEAPOLIS (5/7/01) -- In his final collegiate at-bat, Adam Dittrich (Sr., New Ulm, Minn./Minnesota Valley Lutheran HS) hit a three-run, game-winning home run for Augsburg College, as the Auggies gained a split with Macalester College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader Monday at Parade Stadium.

Macalester gained a 10-9 win in nine innings in the first game, while Augsburg won the second contest 5-4. Augsburg finished its season at 20-22 overall and 6-14 in the MIAC, the first time an Augsburg team had won 20 games in a single season since 1992 (23 wins). Augsburg tripled its number of wins from last season (6).

With one nonconference doubleheader remaining, Macalester moved to 15-22 overall and 10-10 in MIAC play.

Augsburg rallied from a 4-2 seventh-inning deficit with three runs in the bottom of its final inning of the season. Pat Knafla (Fr., Rice, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice HS) opened the inning on a walk, and M.J. Iverson (So., Hamburg, Minn./Norwood-Young America Central HS) pinch-ran for him. Iverson moved to second on a wild pitch, and advanced to third as Joe Holman (So., Springfield, Minn.) singled.

With one out, Dittrich hit his first home run of the season -- and second in his two years as an Auggie -- on a shot with the wind blowing out to left field.

The Dittrich homer capped a strong complete-game pitching effort by Nick Rathmann (So, Waseca, Minn.), giving up seven hits and a walk while striking out one. Dieter Bowar (So., St. Louis Park, Minn.) took the loss in relief of Macalester starter Marshall Mullenbach (So., Racine, Minn.).

Macalester scored three runs in the top of the second inning to claim an early lead in the second game, as Matt Soltvedt (Sr., Golden Valley, Minn.) scored on a suicide-squeeze bunt by Joel Brettingen (Fr., Minnetonka, Minn.), Andy Odegaard (Jr., New Brighton, Minn.) came home on a sacrifice fly by Ty O'Connell (Jr., Helena, Mont.), and Brettingen scored after a fielding error.

The Auggies charged back in their half of the second, as Rich Storholm (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./St. Louis Park HS) doubled and scored on a single by Ryan Krautkremer (Jr., Waseca, Minn.), and Krautkremer scored on a two-out single by Knafla. Storholm led the Auggies with a 3-for-3 effort in his final career game, as did Holman for the Auggies.

The Scots added a run in the seventh, when O'Connell scored on a triple by Scott Bell (Fr., Selah, Wash.). O'Connell went 2-for-2 to lead the Scots.

The two teams opened the doubleheader with an offensive explosion, combining for 30 hits and 19 runs, while taking advantage of six fielding errors (four by Macalester, two by Augsburg).

Macalester built a 7-1 lead after five-and-a-half innings, but the Auggies rallied to tie the game and force extra innings, and nearly won the game in the eighth.

In Augsburg's half of the eighth, pinch-hitter Sammy Gross (So., Springfield, Minn.) singled and came around the bases on a two-out double by Dittrich. But Macalester catcher Soltvedt, taking a relay throw from center fielder Bell, blocked the plate and successfully tagged Gross to end the Auggie threat.

The Scots scored three runs in their half of the ninth, when O'Connell hit a run-scoring single to drive in Bell, and Brettingen singled to drive in two runs. The Auggies ralled behind a two-run homer to right field by Krautkremer in the bottom of the inning, but with runners at first and third with two outs, the Auggies grounded out against relief pitcher Soltvedt, who had moved from catcher to pitcher, to end the game. Soltvedt ended up getting the save, with reliever Steve Derrington (Fr., Amery, Wis.) recording the win.

Augsburg opened the scoring in the first game, when Dittrich tripled and came home on a single by Mike Schwalen (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn./Richfield HS).

But the Scots scored seven runs over a three-inning stretch to build a 7-1 lead. Two runs came across in the third, when Damon Dahlheimer (Jr., Brooklyn Center, Minn.) tripled to drive in a run, and Paul Odegaard (Fr., New Brighton, Minn.) hit a run-scoring sacrifice fly. Bell scored in the fourth, as he doubled and was plated on a single by Kevin Duggan (Sr., Dillion, Mont.).

Four runs came across in the fifth, as four consecutive singles, a wild pitch and sacrifice fly gave the Scots a commanding lead. Jesse Calm (Jr., Lake Oswego, Ore.) and Soltvedt had run-scoring singles, Soltvedt scored on a wild pitch and Duggan hit an RBI sacrifice fly.

The Auggies rallied back with three runs in the fifth and three runs in the sixth. In the fifth, Pat Marsh (Jr., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) reached base on an error and scored on another error, Storholm plated a run with a sacrifice fly, and Schwalen scored from third after Dave Sherry (Jr., Hastings, Minn.) was hung up on a pickoff attempt. In the sixth, Marsh drove in a run on a double and later scored on a passed ball. Dittrich drove in a run on a groundout to tie the game.

Marsh, Dittrich, Storholm and Ben Wilson (So., Le Sueur, Minn.) had two hits apiece for the Auggies, while Brettingen went 4-for-5 to pace the Scots. Calm and Bell had three hits apiece, with Dahlheimer and Duggan had two hits each.