University of St. Thomas Athletics
Saint John's
Baseball rides Bullis' bat to sweep of SJU
4/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Senior Chris Bullis went 5-for-5 on the day and drove in the go-ahead run in game one with a fifth-inning double to lead No. 16-ranked St. Thomas to a 5-3, 7-1 baseball sweep of visiting St. John's in MIAC play Monday at UST's Koch Diamond.
The Tommies (15-5 overall, 4-0) were coming off a nine-day layoff and were playing just their third and fourth games in the last 21 days. They kept pace near the top of the MIAC standings with 6-0 Gustavus, which edged Bethel 5-3 and 6-5. St. Olaf swept Augsburg 18-1 and 4-1 to move to 3-0 in the conference.
Junior Erik Olson and sophomore Jake Kraemer each had complete-game pitching wins for the Tommies. Olson retired the first 11 Johnnies he faced and survived a three-run fifth inning. He struck out nine and walked one to improve to 3-1 on the season. Kraemer, in just his fifth career start, set down the first 10 Johnnies and allowed five hits and one run with no walks and four strikeouts.
Bullis reached base in all seven plate appearances on the day and is now hitting .625 with 35 hits in 18 games this season.
In game one, Tommie junior Dan Leslie homered to deep left for a 1-0 UST lead. But the Johnnies scored three runs in the top of the fifth to take a 3-1 lead. In the UST half of the fifth inning, Louie Salmen and Matt McQuillan led off with walks. Pexa's sacrifice-bunt try was thrown into the right-field corner allowing him to reach third base and tying the game at 3-3. Bullis' RBI double made it 4-3. Bullis moved to third on a fly out and hustled in to score on Leslie's sacrifice fly to short right for a 5-3 lead.
In game two, the Tommies pounded 12 hits, including a homer, double and RBI single by Bullis. UST stranded 10 runners in the first five innings.
Matt Pexa went 4-for-7 on the day; Leslie went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI; Brian Schmitz added three hits on the day.
The Tommies play Wednesday at St. Olaf.
Chris Bullis
Jake Kraemer
Click here for game 1 box score:
http://www.tommiesports.com/bsbl/stats/4-14-DH1.HTM
Click here for game 2 box score:
http://www.tommiesports.com/bsbl/stats/4-14-DH2.HTM
Matt Pexa looks to make third base. (Eli Adams photo)
Matt Pexa had four hits on the day. (Eli Adams photo)
