Game 1 box score |
Game 2 box score
Macalester received some standout pitching in an MIAC doubleheader at St. John's, but suffered a pair of heart-breaking 3-2 defeats to the Johnnies – the first one in a 12-inning affair and the second one after leading 2-0 going into the bottom of the seventh.
The Johnnies, who are also trying to climb into the race for a spot in the four-team MIAC post-season, stay alive as they improve to 7-7 (13-14 overall). After winning three in a row coming in, Macalester drops to 6-8 in the MIAC (13-18 overall).
The Scots received a couple standout starting pitching efforts from
Alex Ingram (Fy., Chicago, Ill. / Morgan Park Academy) in the opener and
Robert Engel (So., Sunnyvale, Calif. / St. Lawrence) in the nightcap, and had 5 2/3 innings of strong relief pitching in the extra-inning game from
Eric Robinson (So., San Francisco, Calif. / Urban School).
Mac played its longest game since Spring Break '02, going 12 innings in the opener, and out-hit the Johnnies 12-8. The Scots, however, left 13 runners stranded on base, including a couple in each of the 11th and 12th innings. Ingram pitched his best game as a Scot, holding SJU to just four hits in 4 1/3 innings, striking out five and walking just one. Just three days after beating Gustavus with a pitching gem, Robinson entered the game in the seventh inning and kept his team in the game with 5 2/3 shutout relief innings before the Johnnies scored the game-winner in the 12th.
Michael Kennedy (So., Chicago, Ill. / Northside Prep) had three of his team's 12 hits, while Macalester received two hits apiece from
Joe Borer (Sr., St. Paul, Minn. / Central) and
Jason Friedman (So., New York, N.Y. / The Browning School). Borer had two hits in each game to take over the team's batting leadership with a .367 average on the season, while Kennedy is right behind at .365.
Game two's pitching dual lasted just the regulation seven innings, with Mac's Engel keeping St. John's off the board through the first six frames before the Johnnies completed the sweep.
The Scots return to action Saturday (April 26) at Bethel at 1 p.m.
