Baseball 3/15/04 -- Clarkson (N.Y.) 4, Augsburg 2; Knox (Ill.) 2, Augsburg 1

CLARKSON BOXSCORE
KNOX BOXSCORE


FORT MYERS, Fla. (3/15/04) -- Jon Kozitza (Jr., North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West HS) went 3-for-3 in the first game, while Matt Johnson (Fr., Plymouth, Minn./Osseo HS) struck out nine in a complete-game effort in the second game, as the Augsburg College baseball team dropped two games at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic on Monday at Terry Park.

Augsburg dropped a 4-2 decision to Clarkson College (N.Y.) in the opener, then fell 2-1 to Knox College (Ill.) on Monday to fall to 1-5 on the season.

Brandon Barcomb hit a solo home run and went 2-for-4, scoring twice, to lead Clarkson to the victory over the Auggies in the first game. Clarkson scored three runs in the third inning off of Augsburg starter Jeremy Nelson (Jr., Maplewood, Minn./Roseville HS), and added another in the fifth off reliever John Golnitz (Jr., Green Bay, Wis./Preble HS). Chris Schroeder (Fr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington HS) finished the game on the mound for the Auggies, striking out two in two innings of work.

Augsburg scored in the second inning, as Collin Nash (Sr., Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) hit a one-out double to right field and scored on a single by Kozitza, and in the seventh, as Kozitza scored on a single by Andy Nelson (So., Waseca, Minn.). Nelson went 2-for-3 in the game. But Augsburg stranded the potential game-tying runs on base in the bottom of the seventh on consecutive strikeouts from Clarkson reliever John Smith to end the game.

Johnson pitched a complete-game effort against Knox, striking out nine while not walking a batter and allowing only three hits. But Knox took advantage of three Augsburg fielding errors in the contest and scored all the runs it would need in the third inning, as both runs were unearned.

Nash went 2-for-3 to lead the Auggies, who managed just four hits, all singles. Ricky Schreier (So., Maplewood, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) had a single, and Taylor Pagel (Jr., Cannon Falls, Minn.) drove in the only Auggie run with a single in the fifth.

The Auggies return to action in the Gene Cusic Classic with a doubleheader against Hope (Mich.) on Tuesday (3/16) at 4 p.m.

Clarkson (N.Y.) 4, Augsburg 2
Clarkson -- 003 010 0 -- 4-7-1
Augsburg -- 010 000 1 -- 2-8-1
WP-Potter, LP-J.Nelson. 2B -- Nash, Kozitza. HR -- Barcomb.

Knox (Ill.) 2, Augsburg 1
Knox -- 002 000 0 -- 2-3-1
Augsburg -- 000 010 0 -- 1-4-3
WP-Rogers, LP-M.Johnson. 2B -- Hoosen.