University of St. Thomas Athletics
Bethel
Baseball stays hot, sweeps Bethel
4/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Senior All-American catcher Matt Pexa went 6-for-7 on the day with six RBI to lead No. 15-ranked St. Thomas to Monday's 15-6, 16-5 baseball sweep of visiting Bethel.
The Tommies (21-5 overall, 10-0 MIAC), who had 28 hits on the day, pushed their team batting average to .381. They have won 13 in a row vs. MIAC opponents dating back to the 2007 conference playoffs. Bethel (14-14, 4-7) had won five of their previous six games.
The Toms hold a half-game lead over Gustavus (10-1) atop the conference standings. The Gusties beat St. Mary's 10-5 in Monday's game one, but had game two suspended by rain with St. Mary's leading 7-1 in the fourth inning.
UST has swept four MIAC doubleheaders in their last eight days. The Toms broke to a 15-0 lead in game one. In game two, the Toms led just 7-5 in the fifth inning before pulling away.
Sophomore Matt Schuld had a complete-game win in the opener. He threw six shutout innings before Bethel scored five unearned runs in the seventh. Schuld finished with seven strikeouts and one walk and allowed 10 hits.
In game two, UST starter Zach Neubauer allowed nine hits and five runs in 4 2-3 innings but got the win. Erik Olson relieved and escaped a jam in the bottom of the fifth after BU had trimmed the lead to 7-5 and had the tying runs aboard.
The Toms scored five runs in the fifth inning and four more times to break open the game.
Pexa reached base in his last seven at-bats on the day. He hit a two-run homer in game one, then had four separate RBI hits in game two in a 4-for-4 day. Freshman Taylor Rahm went 3-for-4 on the day with a homer; freshman Tim Kahle also had three hits; freshman Matt McQuillan went 2-for-4 in game one; and junior Dan Leslie had two hits and three RBI and ran his hitting streak to nine games.
St. Thomas is home Tuesday to face Hamline in a 2:30 doubleheader.
Click here for Game 1 box score:
http://www.tommiesports.com/bsbl/stats/4-21-DH1.HTM
Click here for Game 2 box score:
http://www.tommiesports.com/bsbl/stats/4-21-DH2.HTM
Matt Olson steals second base. (Mike Ekern photos)
Tom Wippler
Roy Larson
