Baseball 3/6/04 -- Dickinson State (N.D.) 7-9, Augsburg 6-3

GAME 1 BOXSCORE
GAME 2 BOXSCORE


MINNEAPOLIS (3/6/04) -- Troy Deden (So., Northfield, Minn.) made his Augsburg College debut by going 3-for-5 with a two-run triple, leading Augsburg College as its opened its 2004 baseball season with a doubleheader loss to Dickinson State University (N.D.) on Saturday night at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

Dickinson State won the first game 7-6, while scoring eight runs in the first two innings to dispatch the Auggies 9-3 in the second contest, shortened to five innings because of time curfews at the Metrodome. It was the first games of the season for both teams.

With a very young roster and four players making their Auggie debuts in the starting lineup, Augsburg made the first game a very competitive one. A single by Pat Knafla (Sr., Rice, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice HS) drove in a run in the first inning for the Auggies, but Dickinson State took advantage of two Auggie errors in the bottom of the frame to take a 2-1 lead. Travis Hodsdon drove in a run on a single, and Bret Nellermoe drove in a run on a sacrifice fly.

Deden hit a two-run triple as part of a three-run third inning for the Auggies, but Dickinson State tied the game again in the bottom of the frame on RBI singles by Hodsdon and Greg Gabbani.

Augsburg again took the lead in the fifth inning, as Knafla hit a run-scoring double and Jon Kozitza (Jr., North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West HS) drove in a run on a groundout.

But Dickinson State scored single runs in the final three innings to claim the win. Hodsdon doubled and scored on a single by Nellermoe in the fifth, and Scooter Torres brought in a run in the sixth on a single. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Danny Shorb and Hodsdon led off the frame with walks, and each moved up a base on a groundout. After an intentional walk to load the bases, Oliver Jones hit a sacrifice fly to right field to drive in the game-winning run.

Hodsdon was 3-for-3 for the Blue Hawks, while Knafla went 2-for-3 for the Auggies, scoring two runs. Darren Ginther (So., Crystal, Minn./Robbindale Armstrong HS) scored twice for the Auggies.

Jeremy Nelson (Jr., Maplewood, Minn./Roseville HS) started and pitched two innings for the Auggies, striking out two and allowing two hits. John Golnitz (Jr., Green Bay, Wis./Preble HS), Adam Johnson (Fr., Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) and Ginther pitched in relief for the Auggies, with Johnson taking the loss.

Matt Johnson (Fr., Plymouth, Minn./Osseo HS) was tagged with the loss for the Auggies in the second game, giving up seven runs in an inning-and-a-third, as the Blue Hawks built an 8-0 lead in the first two innings. Tyler Kraft (Fr., Savage, Minn./Burnsville HS) and Eric Weber (Fr., Hastings, Minn.) pitched in relief.

Hodsdon went 3-for-3, scoring twice and driving in two runs to lead the Blue Hawks, while Shorb went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Gabbani and Torres each went 2-fof-3, with Torres driving in three runs with a triple and Gabbani driving in two on a double and scoring once. Marcus Davis went 3-for-3, scoring twice and contributing two doubles.

All seven Augsburg hits in the second game were singles. Ari Keating (Fr., Robbinsdale, Minn./DeLaSalle HS) drove in a run on a single in the second inning, and a groundout by Ginther and a single by Deden plated runs for the Auggies in the third.

Augsburg returns to action with 12 games in an eight-day span in Fort Myers, Fla., at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic. Augsburg's first games are in a doubleheader against Massachusetts-Boston next Saturday (3/13) at 4 p.m.