Baseball 4/2/03 -- Augsburg 8-1, Carleton 5-2

GAME 1 BOXSCORE
GAME 2 BOXSCORE

MINNEAPOLIS (4/2/03) -- Leadoff hitter Pat Marsh (Sr., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) went 5-for-5 at the plate and reached base all eight times he came to the plate on Wednesday for Augsburg College, while Tony LePage (Sr., Duluth, Minn./Denfeld HS) hit a home run in the first game and pitched a four-hit, complete-game win in the second game for Carleton College, as the teams split a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader at Parade Stadium.

Behind Marsh's 4-for-4, four-run effort, Augsburg won the first game 8-5, but Carleton claimed the second game pitchers' duel 2-1. Augsburg is now 6-9-2 overall, while Carleton is now 3-10. It was the first league action for both teams.

Augsburg got off to a quick start in the first game, scoring five runs in the first two innings. Marsh led off the bottom of the first with a triple, and came across on a sacrifice fly by Andy Nelson (Fr., Waseca, Minn.). Nelson went 2-for2 with two RBI in the contest.

Augsburg sent nine batters to the plate in the second, scoring four runs. Jon Kozitza (Jr., North Mankato, Minn.) doubled and scored on a single by Taylor Pagel (So., Cannon Falls, Minn.). Marsh drove in Pagel with a single, and Joe Haehn (Fr., Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn HS) drove in two runs on a single.

The Auggies drove in another run in the fourth, as Nelson doubled to bring home Marsh, and after Carleton cut the lead to one run in the top of the sixth, the Auggies nailed down the win with two runs in the bottom of the frame, as Collin Nash (Jr., Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) hit a single to bring home Nelson and Marsh.

Carleton scored three runs in the second, as Fran Glover (Fr., Minnetonka, Minn.) hit a run-scoring double and came across on a fielding error, and Gunnar Stapp (Jr., Gordon, Wis./Northwood HS) scored on a failed double-play attempt. LePage hit a solo home run in the fifth inning, and Ben Phillips (So., Woodstock, Ill.) singled home Luke Muellerleile (Fr., White Bear Lake, Minn./Mahtomedi HS) in the sixth. LePage went 2-for-4 to lead Carleton in the first game.

Jeremy Nelson (So., Maplewood, Minn./Roseville HS) picked up the pitching win for Augsburg in the first game, pitching a complete-game, four-strikeout effort. He allowed seven hits.

Starter Will Nissen (So., Edina, Minn.) lasted just an inning and two-thirds for Carleton, with Brian Sharkey (Fr., Bow, N.H./St. Paul's School) finishing the game in relief.

The pitchers were the story in the second game, as LePage recorded 11 strikeouts while allowing four hits and one unearned run in a complete-game effort to claim the win for Carleton. However, Nash was nearly as effective for Augsburg, striking out seven while not allowing a walk and surrendering just six hits and two runs, one unearned.

Augsburg got on the scoreboard first in the second game, as Marsh scored on a double-steal attempt in the third inning. With runners on the corners, Andy Nelson stole second, and Marsh came home on an errant throw to the catcher.

Carleton scored twice in the second, as LePage hit a one-out double and was advanced to third after Ben Cooprider (Fr., DeKalb, Ill.) reached on an error. LePage scored on a wild pitch, and Cooprider scored on a two-out double by Roddy Theobald (Fr., Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North HS).

Theobald and Noah Brenner (Sr., Menomonie, Wis.) had two hits apiece for Carleton. Andy Nelson went 2-for-4 for Augsburg, while Marsh reached base all four times he was at-bat in the game, going 1-for-1 with three walks -- two intentional.

Augsburg returns to MIAC action on Saturday (4/5) with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at St. Thomas. Carleton returns to action on Sunday (4/6) at 1 p.m., with a nonconference doubleheader against Upper Iowa.