Baseball 4/23/05 -- Augsburg 13-7, Carleton 6-4

GAME 1 BOXSCORE
GAME 2 BOXSCORE

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (4/23/05) -- Darren Ginther (Jr., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) went 4-for-6 with four runs scored in the doubleheader, leading the Augsburg College baseball team to a sweep of host Carleton College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Knights Field.

Augsburg broke a streak of eight straight doubleheader splits with the sweep, taking the first game 13-6 and the second game 7-4. Augsburg improved to 17-12 overall, 7-5 in MIAC play with the sweep, one of five conference teams with seven league wins after Saturday's play. St. Thomas leads the league by three games with a 10-2 conference mark. Carleton is now 4-22 overall, 2-12 in MIAC play.

Ginther went 2-for-2 with three runs scored, two doubles and an RBI in the first game, while also pitching a complete-game victory, striking out three. He went 2-for-4 with a run scored in the second contest.

Augsburg jumped on top early in the first game 5-0, but allowed the Knights to tie the game with a five-run second inning. But the Auggies pulled away with three runs in the third, three runs in the fourth and two in the seventh inning to claim the win.

A Ginther RBI and sacrifice-fly by Taylor Pagel (Sr., Cannon Falls, Minn.) put the Auggies ahead 2-0 in the first, a lead expanded in the second on an RBI groundout by Jeff Stomberg (Fr., Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial HS), run-scoring single by Matt Johnson (So., Plymouth, Minn./Osseo HS) and a run by Ginther on a throwing error after a successful steal of third base.

Carleton scored five runs in the second inning, with back-to-back run-scoring doubles by Matt Topeff and Matt Bond, a two-run single by Roddy Theobald and a run-scoring single by Luke Muellerleile. But Augsburg scored three runs on just one hit in the third inning -- a leadoff double by Andrew Werner (Fr., Vermillion, Minn./Hastings HS) -- taking advantage of two bases-loaded walks to take the lead for good.

Augsburg connected on three triples in the fifth inning -- all with two outs -- to score three runs and break the game open. Johnson tripled, and after an intentional walk, Troy Deden (Jr., Northfield, Minn.) drove in two runs on his three-bagger, followed by a triple by Pagel. A groundout and RBI single by Pagel brought two more runs across in the seventh. An RBI single by Fran Glover closed Carleton's scoring in the seventh.

Ginther scored his third complete-game pitching effort of the season in improving to 3-2 on the mound. He had three strikeouts against just two walks. Topeoff started for Carleton but lasted just two innings, with Brian Sharkey finishing the game for the Knights.

Johnson went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, while Ginther, Deden and Pagel had two hits apiece. Theobald, Muellerleile and Bond had two hits apiece for Carleton.

Another strong pitching effort by Augsburg's No. 1 pitcher, Jeremy Nelson (Sr., Maplewood, Minn./Roseville HS), led the Auggies to the second-game victory. He allowed just eight hits and a walk, and only allowed two runs while stranding six Carleton runners on the basepaths to improve to 5-2 on the year. Reliever Tyler Kraft (So., Savage, Minn./Burnsville HS), making his 17th appearance of the season in Augsburg's 29 games, allowed two runs in the seventh inning, but got the final batter to strike out with two runners aboard.

Carleton took the early lead on an RBI double by Glover in the first inning, but Augsburg took the lead on a two-run single by Werner in the second. A bases-loaded walk plated a run in the fifth for the Auggies. Carleton cut the lead to one run in the sixth, as a sacrifice fly by Topeoff drove home a run.

Augsburg scored four runs in the seventh to bust the game open. Another bases-loaded walk, a sacrifice fly by Mike Zaun (Fr., Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley HS) and a two-run double by Brian Bambenek (So., St. Charles, Minn.) did the damage for the Auggies, who survived a Carleton seventh-inning double by Sylvester, a run-scoring single by Muellerleile and two errors to bring home another run.

Sylvester went 3-for-4 for the Knights in the second game. Muellerleile went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and Glover went 2-for-4. Sam Chotiner-Gardner pitched six innings for Carleton, with Sharkey finishing the game.

Augsburg returns to action on Tuesday (4/26) with a doubleheader at Concordia-Moorhead. The start time of Tuesday's doubleheader has been moved up to 1 p.m. Carleton has a nonconference doubleheader on Sunday (4/24) at 1 p.m., hosting Finlandia (Mich.).