BOXSCORE 1 | BOXSCORE 2 GAME 1 BOXSCORE | GAME 2 BOXSCORE

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Augsburg College baseball team had its season come to an end on Monday with a doubleheader split against St. John's University in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Augsburg (24-15 overall, 10-10 MIAC) won the first game 2-1, but fell to St. John's (26-13 overall, 14-6 MIAC) in the second game 4-2.

Augsburg ended the regular season tied with St. Mary's (21-18 overall, 10-10 MIAC) for fourth place in the MIAC standings, but the Cardinals received the final spot in the four-team MIAC postseason playoffs due to its sweep of the Auggies in a doubleheader on April 28. St. Thomas, St. John's and Bethel will join the Cardinals in the conference playoffs, to be held at Veterans Field in Minnetonka, Minn., this weekend.

Augsburg's 24 victories marked the fourth time that the Auggies have won 20 or more games in head coach Keith Bateman's nine seasons at Augsburg, and the Auggies' best record since a 24-18 mark in the 2005 season.


The Auggies scored a run in the first inning, as Brent Kolbow (JR, Forest Lake, Minn.) led off the inning with a walk and eventually came around to score on an infield single by Adam Carl (SO, Eagan, Minn.). Another run came across in the fifth, as designated hitter Adam Seaman (SR, Richfield, Minn.) singled, moved to third base on a double by Tom Petersen (SR, Hugo, Minn./White Bear Lake HS), and scored on an RBI single by Carl. Carl ended up going 3-for-3 in the game.

St. John's cut into the Auggie advantage in the sixth inning, as Brett Becker (FY, North Oaks, Minn./Mounds View HS) walked and eventually came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Connor Cline (JR, Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson HS). Johnnie pitcher Ryan Spengler (JR, St. Cloud, Minn./Tech HS) threw a complete-game effort, striking out four while walking three and allowing seven hits.

In the second game, the Johnnies struck first. Aaron Pfaff (FY, New Ulm, Minn./Cathedral HS) opened the game with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Cline in the first inning. In the third inning, back-to-back home runs -- a two-run homer by Max Forster (JR, Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins HS) and a solo homer by Dylan Graves (SO, Mora, Minn.) -- gave the Johnnies a 4-0 lead.

Tim Gerding (SR, Robbinsdale, Minn./Cooper HS) led off the Auggie third inning with a double, then came around to score on a double by Seaman. In the sixth inning, Lou LaChapelle (JR, Eagan, Minn.) scored on an inside-the-park home run to deep center field, trimming the lead to 4-2.

Starter Ryan Mestnik (FY, Prior Lake, Minn.) took the loss for the Auggies, striking out two while not walking a batter in 3.0 innings of work. St. John's starter Scott Schroeder (JR, Richmond, Minn./Rocori HS) picked up the win, striking out two in five innings of work. Cline and Joey Long (JR, Belvidere, Ill./Rockford Boylan HS) each pitched an inning of relief for the Johnnies.

The doubleheader marked the final collegiate games for 12 Auggie seniors -- Gerding, Petersen, Seaman, Trent Anderson (SR, Eagan, Minn.), Jeff Boresz (SR, Chadron, Ohio/Mentor HS), Jarron Farah (SR, Minneapolis, Minn./St. Anthony Village HS), Caleb Jester (SR, Mounds View, Minn./Irondale HS), Alec Johnson (SR, Marine on St. Croix, Minn./Forest Lake HS), Adam Langer (SR, Kenyon, Minn./Kenyon-Wanamingo HS), Dave Matyi (SR, Edina, Minn.), Bobby Monsour (SR, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Roseville HS) and Jonathan Wulff (SR, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley HS).