COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris baseball team fell 10–9 to St. John's University after a late eighth-inning surge by the Johnnies on Friday evening in Collegeville, Minn.
The Cougars started hot, as
Landen Meyerdirk hit a single to left field before stealing second.
Ben Meuser drove in the opening run with a single. Minnesota Morris loaded the bases following a single from
Ryan McGie and a walk by
Bradie Black. The lead grew to 2–0 after a single from
Kellan Oligmueller, and an error allowed the final run of the inning to score.
In the top of the third, UMM loaded the bases before recording an out, with singles from McGie and Oligmueller and a walk from Black.
Trevor Haberman drove in a pair with a single just over the third baseman.
Peyton Neadeau drew a walk to reload the bases, and
Aidan Moran followed with an RBI single. Another run crossed the plate when Meyerdirk grounded into a double play, giving the Cougars a 7–0 lead.
The Johnnies began to rally with three runs in the fourth and another in the sixth.
Emmett Campbell entered the game in the bottom of the sixth with two runners on and two outs, striking out the only batter he faced to escape the jam.
The Cougars extended their lead in the seventh. McGie reached on a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. An error moved him to third while Oligmueller reached first. Another error allowed McGie to score before Neadeau was thrown out at second to end the inning. St. John's capitalized on two UMM errors to pull within one.
In the eighth,
Aidan Moran drew a walk to lead off the inning. Meyerdirk followed with a bunt single. A wild pitch advanced both runners into scoring position with no outs. Back-to-back fielder's choices left runners on first and third. Meuser and Meyerdirk then executed a double steal to restore a two-run lead heading into the bottom of the eighth. The Johnnies responded by scoring three runs in the inning to take the lead and ultimately secure the 10–9 win.
The Cougars totaled 11 hits in the loss, with McGie and Oligmueller leading the way with three each. Meyerdirk added two hits. Haberman led the team with three RBIs, while McGie scored a team-high three runs. Meyerdirk recorded the team's lone stolen base.
On the mound,
Travis Godfrey pitched 5.2 innings, striking out one while allowing four earned runs. Campbell followed with 1.1 innings, recording one strikeout and allowing two earned runs.
Breckin Silvain pitched the final inning, striking out two without allowing an earned run.
The Cougars will travel to Macalester College on Saturday for a nonconference game at 2 p.m.
