Baseball 2/28/03 -- Upper Iowa 3-4, Augsburg 2-4

GAME 1 BOXSCORE
GAME 2 BOXSCORE


MINNEAPOLIS (2/28/03) -- Jon Kozitza (Jr., North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West HS) went 3-for-6 with two runs batted in and two runs scored, leading Augsburg College in its season-opening baseball doubleheader with Upper Iowa University on Friday night at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

Upper Iowa, also in its season-opening doubleheader, topped Augsburg 4-3 in the first game, and the teams played to a 4-4, eight-inning tie in the second game. The game was called at 2:35 a.m., due to time restrictions at the Metrodome. The doubleheader began at 10 p.m.

Augsburg scored two runs in the first inning of the first game, as Pat Marsh (Sr., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) hit a double, Kozitza drove in a run on a single, and Marsh came home on a single from Nick Rathmann (Sr., Waseca, Minn.).

But Upper Iowa scored two runs in the sixth and clinched the game in the bottom of the seventh, as Robbie Nielsen hit a leadoff triple and came into score on a one-out single from Jacob Naumann.

Jeremy Nelson (So., Maplewood, Minn./Roseville HS) started on the mound for the Auggies and struck out three, allowing just two hits in his three and two-thirds innings of work. John Golnitz (So., Green Bay, Wis./Preble HS) pitched an inning and two-thirds, and Isaac Schmidt (So., Luverne, Minn.) took the loss, pitching the seventh.

In the second game, Upper Iowa scored four runs in the first inning off of Auggie starter Josh Remme (Fr., Faribault, Minn.), but the Auggies rallied to tie the game, though they stranded eight runners in the contest.

Joe Holman (Sr., Springfield, Minn.) went 2-for-2 at the plate, scoring on a single by Kozitza in the first. Kozitza singled and scored in the fourth. Augsburg scored twice in the sixth, as Russ Bauer (Sr., Faribault, Minn.) singled and scored on after Tom Stefanacci (So., St. Louis Park, Minn.) single and advanced on an error. Tony Marsh (So., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) singled and drove in Stefanacci.

Andy Dahl (Jr., Cottonwood, Minn./Lakeview HS), pitching in relief, struck out three in three and one-third innings of work. Matt Topp (Sr., South St. Paul, Minn.) pitched the eighth inning for the Auggies.

Augsburg returns to action on Saturday (3/8) at 5 p.m., hosting Luther (Iowa) in a doubleheader at the Metrodome.