ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College baseball team defeated Minnesota-Morris, 9-1 and 4-3 to sweep a non-conference doubleheader Friday afternoon at Nicholson Field. The wins give the Scots a 12-8 record on the season, while the Cougars drop to 7-15.
In the first game, sophomore
Collin Brantner (Farmington, Conn./Kingswood Oxford) gave Macalester a 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning. Then in the third, senior
Nick Sia (Crofton, Md./South River) followed suit with a solo shot of his own, sparking a five-run inning. Junior
Quentin Stuart (Nashville, Ind./Indiana Academy) hit a two-run double, while sophomore
Nick McMullen (Payson, Ariz./Payson) and senior
Sam Berk (Miami, Fla./Palmer Trinity School) singled home runs in the third. After the Cougars scored a run in the top of the fifth, Berk answered with a two-run double in the bottom of the fifth for an 8-1 lead. Stuart closed out the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the sixth that plated Sia.
First year
Sam Hollenbach (Oakland, Calif./Athenian School) gave up one run on five hits over 4 1/3 innings to earn his first career victory. Senior
Griffen Gallagher (Westport, Conn./IMG Pendleton Academies) and McMullen pitched the final 2 2/3 innings without allowing a run. Berk was 3-for-3 with three runs batted in, while McMullen, Stuart, Sia and senior
Jonathan Melms (Wauwatosa, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran) each had two hits.
Macalester started fast in Game 2, scoring four runs in the second inning. Melms and Brantner delivered run-scoring singles, while first year
Jared Abelson (Herndon, Va./South Lakes) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Minnesota-Morris scored single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to make it a one-run game, 4-3. Matt Flock hit a solo home run in the fifth. But McMullen came on in the seventh and fanned the leadoff batter before inducing a soft lineout and a groundout to end the game.
Brantner went 3-for-3 with a triple and an RBI, with sophomore
Ben Castagnetti (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) collecting two hits. Junior pitcher
Jamie Progebin (Washington, D.C./Maret) held the Cougars to one run on four hits over four innings of work to earn the win. McMullen registered his first save of the season with a perfect seventh inning.
The Scots return to MIAC action with a doubleheader at No. 5 St. Thomas on Saturday, Apr. 16. The first game starts at 1:00 p.m. in St. Paul, Minn.
