After a shortened season and days of frustration over cancelled games, the St. Olaf men’s baseball team has had to deal with a lot of adversity. Imagine having to play four double-headers in five days, knowing that the stretch of games could potentially turn into a playoff run. Not only is this physically exhausting, but mentally too. The team made a good run at the Playoffs, but narrowly missed the sixth seed.
Most recently, the team played three double-headers at home. On May 7, the Oles took on the Concordia Cobbers. In the first game, the Oles lost 8-6, giving up a 4-0 lead. However, the team came alive in the second game and won by an impressive score of 14-2. The men scored six runs in the fourth inning and six in the eighth.
The following day, the team took on Macalester College at home, and earned the doubleheader sweep. Nick Kulla ’14 had two hits, a run and an RBI in the first game, while Nate Gelle ’15 earned the team’s win while striking out six batters in four innings and only giving up two runs. In the second game, the Oles scored five runs right out of the chute in the first inning. However, Macalester responded with a hefty eleven runs in the top of the fourth. The Oles leveled the game yet again by making the score 16-11 after four innings of play. Jack Schechinger ’14 boosted the Oles with a 3-run home run, which allowed the Oles to score eight additional runs. By earning the sweep, the Oles put themselves in a good position for a playoff run. The team was scheduled to play Augsburg on May 9, and needed a sweep or some luck.
On May 9, the Oles took on Augsburg College and the stakes were high. The game was scoreless until the third inning when Chris Paradise ’14’s RBI singles put the Oles on the board for the first run of the game. The Oles put up another run in the fifth inning before the Auggies scored four runs in the top of the sixth, making the score 4-2 which is how it remained until the end of the game. The second game started off slow as well, until the Auggies scored in the second inning. However, Tim Maus (’16) scored the first run for the Oles. Also scoring were Paradise, Schechinger and Jake Schmiesing ’13, making the score 4-1. The Oles scored another three runs in the fourth inning, Schechinger and Schmiesing both getting their second runs of the game. The Auggies ended up putting up one more run for the rest of the game, but the Oles 7-2 lead was too much to handle. Alex Lampert ’15 threw a complete game victory in the second. Yet, the squad narrowly missed the Playoffs which begin on May 10.
Congratulations on a great season Oles!