ST. PAUL, Minn. – Today, the Macalester baseball team hosted St. Olaf at Nicholson Field. The Oles beat the Scots in game one, 16-8, despite a strong start from the Scots. In game two, it came down to the last inning, and unfortunately, the Scots fell 6-4.  The Scots are now 7-24 (2-12 MIAC) while the Oles improve to 20-9 (10-1 MIAC).
 
The Oles started game one with a leadoff homerun for an early 1-0 lead. The Scots immediately answered in the next half inning. After first year Holden Peacock (Houston, Texas/Kinkaid School) doubled, senior Matt Odom (Glendale, Calif./St. Francis) homered to right field to take the lead 2-1. The Scots extended their lead in the second. Sophomore Josh Planko (Northville, Mich./Northville) and senior Charlie Burton (Round Lake, Ill./Round Lake) hit singles to put runners on base. Then sophomore Nathan Gumagay (Potomac, Md./Winston Churchill) hit an RBI double to score Planko. Burton then scored on a balk by the St. Olaf pitcher and Gumagay scored on a wild pitch to lead 5-1. The Oles would get a run back in the top of the third, but Macalester went up 7-2 at the bottom of the third. Odom walked to kick off the inning and junior Hayes Waddell (North Hampton, N.H./Winnacunnet) blasted the Scots' second homerun of the game to extend the lead. However, the Oles had a big nine run fourth inning to take the lead. The Scots got one run in the bottom of the fourth, with junior Bowman Wingard (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) hitting an RBI double to score Odom. The Oles however, controlled the rest of the game, plating five more runs and taking the game 16-8. Odom was 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBI's while Planko was 2-for-4 with a run.
 
St. Olaf kicked off the second game with a 4-0 lead after three innings. The Scots battled back beginning in the fourth. Planko singled and first year Braden LaChapelle (Bethesda, Md./Walter Johnson) was hit by a pitch, which brought senior Matt Mukai (Foster City, Calif./Aragon) up to the plate. Mukai doubled to the outfield, bringing home both Planko and LaChapelle, to cut the Oles' lead in half. In the bottom of the fifth, Planko had an RBI single to score Odom. Then Planko was able to steal second and Waddell scored after an obstruction call on the Oles' catcher, which tied the game at 4-4. Strong pitching from junior Ben Levinson (Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont) kept the game tied through the eighth inning. However, in the ninth, the Oles scored two, and took the game 6-4. Planko was 4-for-4 with a run and an RBI.
 
Today, the Scots honored its seniors Mukai, Odom, Burton, and Matt Rade (Westborough, Mass./St. John's). The Scots return 34 to the field next season.
 
Macalester's next doubleheader is scheduled for Tuesday April 23. The Scots head to Duluth for a MIAC doubleheader against St. Scholastica. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m.