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St. Cloud State University
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Johnnies down SCSU
By Drew Herron
Published:
Thursday, March 27, 2003
Media Credit: scott theisen
SCSU second baseman Matt Hoelscher tries to turn a double play as SJU�s Cole Deibele slides into second base in the sixth inning.
The Husky baseball team looks to be a completely different one that took the field a year ago.
After last season's disappointment, in which the team struggled to a record of 15-25 despite a score of senior leadership, coach Denny Lorsung will now rely on a crop of new and younger players to get it done.
The senior-laden infield that was relied upon for solid defense is gone, along with 11 other letterwinners. Most of their top pitchers from a year ago are gone as well. That leaves a lot of holes that need to be filled. Some have already been filled nicely.
Losing first baseman Andy Gretz left the Huskies with their biggest offensive void. Gretz was the team's offensive leader last season earning All-NCC Honorable Mention on a 10th place team.
Replacing Gretz at first this season is junior Joe Durham. Durham has proved so far he can hit like Gretz, earning NCC Player of the Week honors after a striking performance against Morningside College last weekend.
Durham went 11 for 18, belting two home runs, a double and producing 12 RBI while crossing the plate eight times. The Huskies earned the sweep of Morningside, winning the four games and outscoring the Mustangs by a combined total of 54-15.
The thrashing of Morningside was badly needed after a disappointing Texas road trip over spring break. The Huskies were all too eager to return north following an 0-7 performance against very stiff southern competition.
Traditionally it has been difficult for teams from this region to fare well on early season trips like this one because it is usually the first games they play, while the southern teams like Incarnate Word, who beat the Huskies in two games by a combined total of 48-11, have been playing games for at least six weeks prior.
However, NCC powerhouse MSU, Mankato took two of three against the Crusaders. Last season's Husky team didn't fare much better, winning just once in Texas.
Tuesday, the Huskies opened things up at Dick Putz Field as they fit in an unscheduled game against St. John's. After a scoreless first inning, the Johnnies got on the board in the second when a wild pitch by Huskies' starter Andrew Garry allowed first baseman Justin Holmgren to score from third.
Holmgren led the inning off with a single and advanced to third when right fielder Cole Deibele followed that up with a double. After walking the next batter, left fielder Scott Lavoy singled, scoring Deibele.
A sacrifice bunt by third baseman Chris Bell moved both runners into scoring position, and a costly error by Huskies' shortstop Dave Dahl allowed catcher Todd Jahnke to score unearned for the third run of the inning.
Husky bats also came alive in the second inning when Dahl and Matt Hoelscher singled back-to-back, followed by third baseman Jake Asher's sacrifice bunt, advancing both runners. Right fielder Ryan Kapsner then flied out to deep short, scoring Dahl from third to put the Huskies on the board.
SCSU added another run when leadoff hitter Zach Bertschi singled and scored Hoelscher.
Things didn't change much in the third. Sloppy defense by SCSU and small-ball fundamentals by the Johnnies allowed SJU to tack on three more.
The Huskies again answered by scoring two in their half of the inning. With two outs, D.H. Nate Swan reached on an error that should have ended the inning. Instead, Dahl drove one deep, pulling the Huskies within two at 6-4.
After a scoreless fourth inning, the Johnnies were right back at it in the fifth. Solid Johnnies hitting and sloppy fielding chased Garry from the game. He was replaced by Chase Nelson.
Nelson then got Jahnke to hit into a double play. That scored Holmgren from third for the Johnnies second run of the inning, increasing their lead to four.
The Huskies were able to trim the lead to three in the sixth when the Johnnies became careless. Matt Hoelscher walked and Asher was hit by a pitch to get things started. Then a wild pitch by Blake Cheeley allowed both runners to advance.
After Kapsner walked, things looked bright for the Huskies as the bases were juiced with nobody out. However, Bertschi flied out to first and then Dustin Fenwick grounded out to second, scoring one.
Cheeley then got heavy-hitter Joe Durham to ground out, ending the Husky threat in the sixth.The Johnnies added one more run in the seventh to reclaim the four run lead.
SCSU was only able to muster two hits the rest of the way as SJU pitchers Geoff Karel and Cole Deibele silenced the St. Cloud bats. Sloppy fielding is what made the difference as SCSU committed four errors.
Durham continued his hot hitting, going two for four with a walk. Dahl and Asher also collected a pair of hits. Dahl went yard with a pair of RBI's.
Up next for SCSU is a pair of doubleheaders against South Dakota. The Coyotes are 12-8 and have one of the best pitchers in the conference and NCC Pitcher of the Week for the second consecutive week, John Brunswold. Brunswold sports an impressive 5-1 record, 2.36 ERA, five complete games and has struck out 46 batters in 45.2 innings of work.
The game will be the conference opener for both teams.
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