ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College baseball team lost a pair of close games to visiting Saint John's, 11-10 and 8-7, in a MIAC doubleheader Tuesday at Nicholson Field. The results drop the Scots to 10-8 overall and 2-6 in league play, while the Johnnies improve to 16-8, 4-3 MIAC.

In the first game, Macalester surrendered two runs in the top of the first before sophomore Nick McMullen (Payson, Ariz./Payson) doubled home senior Jonathan Melms (Wauwatosa, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) in the bottom of the first. Then in the second, the Scots exploded for seven runs to lead 8-2. McMullen and junior Quentin Stuart (Nashville, Ind./Indiana Academy) hit back-to-back home runs in the inning, with McMullen blasting a three-run shot and Stuart following with a solo homer. Melms and sophomore Ben Castagnetti (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) also drove in runs.

Macalester answered a two-run homer from Gabe MacDonald in the top of the third with a sacrifice fly from sophomore Collin Brantner (Farmington, Conn./Kingswood Oxford) that plated senior Nick Sia (Crofton, Md./South River) in the bottom of the third to make the score 9-4. Two more Saint John's runs in the fourth and another in the fifth brought the Johnnies to within 9-7, but Sia's first home run of the season put the Scots ahead, 10-7. In the top of the seventh, Saint John's used three hits and a sacrifice fly to make the score 10-9. With a runner on second and one out, Logan Hershey hit a two-run homer to put the visitors ahead, 11-10. The Scots were retired in order in the bottom of the seventh to end the game.

Sophomore Alex Baretta (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic) recorded three hits, while Melms and McMullen each had two hits.

Macalester started Game 2 with a run-scoring single by Stuart and a two-run triple from Castagnetti in the first for a 3-0 lead. Castagnetti brought home Stuart with a single in the third to extend the lead to 4-0. The Johnnies battled back with four runs in the fourth, including a three-run shot by Dan Keller, to tie the score at 4-4. After Saint John's pushed another run across in the top of the fifth, first year Graham Low (Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont) hit a run-scoring single, and first year Jared Abelson (Herndon, Va./South Lakes) delivered a two-run double to put the Scots back on top, 7-5.

Hershey knotted the score at 7-7 with a two-run single, then an unearned run in the top of the ninth gave the Johnnies an 8-7 edge. Macalester, which left 10 runners on base for the game, drew a lead-off walk in the bottom of the ninth but were unable to advance the runner.

Stuart and Abelson each had three hits in Game 2, while McMullen, Castagnetti and Low registered two hits apiece. Sophomore left-hander Sean O'Brien (Potomac, Md./McDonogh School) came on in relief and allowed an unearned run on three hits in 3 1/3 innings.  Saint John's reliever Nick Noack blanked the Scots on three hits with five strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings to earn the win.

Macalester hosts a non-conference doubleheader on Friday, Apr. 15 against Minn.-Morris. The first game starts at 2:30 p.m. at Nicholson Field.