University of St. Thomas Athletics
28-6, 14-5
St. Olaf
22-17, 12-7
Baseball sweeps Oles, gets 8th MIAC title in row
5/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Brandon Stone recorded his school-record sixth save of the season with 1 1-3 inings of scoreless rellef and No. 5-ranked St. Thomas secured at least a share of its eighth consecutive MIAC baseball title with Saturday's 19-4 and 2-1 road sweep of St. Olaf.
The Tommies (29-6 overall, 15-5 MIAC) have won eight of their last nine games. (They captured the conference title on Sunday when second-place Concordia (13-5) split a doubleheader with Bethel.)
It's the seventh MIAC team title this school year for the Tommies -- volleyball, men's basketball, men's swimming and diving, men's and women's indoor track, softball and baseball. St. Thomas also won MIAC playoff championships thus far in men's hockey, women's bsketball and softball.
For the second consecutive school year, UST went 11-for-11 in qualifying for the conference playoffs in all sports which have the formats -- baseball, softball, volleyball and men's and women's hockey, basketball and tennis.
In baseball, the Toms went 5-0 in a seven-day span on the week and allowed just four earned runs to lower their Division III-best ERA to 2.17.
The Toms pounded 19 hits in game one. Matt Olson had a three-run homer in a three-hit game, Tayler Rahm had three hits and four RBI, and Brady Field had three hits. Olson's shot keyed a six-run second inning, and UST added two in the third and one in the fourth.
Matt Schuld threw six shutout innings and collected his 28th career victory, which breaks an MIAC career record. Schuld -- 20-2 over the last two seasons and 28-5 career -- allowed five hits, no walks with three strikeouts to win his second game in four days.
In the nightcap, UST scored twice in the fourth inning for a 2-0 lead on Charles Bruchu's RBI single and Drew Cremisino's RBI ground out. Kris Edwards pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning. Carson Jones' solo homer cut the lead to 2-1 in the sixth. Stone relieved and got the last out of the sixth. After Stone got two quick outs in the seventh, the Oles put the tying and winning run aboard with a single and walk. But Stone got a game-ending ground out.
The Toms secured an MIAC baseball playoff berth for the 11th time in the 11-year history of the format.
Click here for Game 1 box:
http://www.stolaf.edu/athletics/baseball/media/2009-10/box/sto-ust1.htm
Click here for Game 2 box:
http://www.stolaf.edu/athletics/baseball/media/2009-10/box/sto-ust2.htm
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: M. Schuld (8-1)
L: E. Olson (4-4)
Batting:
2B: M. Olson 1 ; T. Rahm 1 ; T. Wippler 1 ; B. Field 1
HR: M. Olson 1
RBI: M. McQuillan 1 ; M. Olson 4 ; T. Rahm 3 ; T. Wippler 2 ; D. Cremisino 3 ; B. Field 3 ; J. Bauer 2
SH: J. Bauer 1
Base Running:
RUNS: M. McQuillan 2 ; M. Olson 3 ; T. Rahm 1 ; T. Wippler 2 ; R. Larson 2 ; C. Bruchu 3 ; D. Cremisino 3 ; B. Field 1 ; J. Bauer 2
Batting:
2B: T. Jones 1 ; L. Brau 1
HR: A. Bartz 1
RBI: A. Bartz 2 ; L. Brau 2
SF: B. Sand 1
Base Running:
RUNS: A. Bartz 1 ; M. Kieffer 1 ; E. Nelson 1 ; L. Brau 1
