University of St. Thomas Athletics
Friday, May 12
St. Paul, Minn.
12:00 p.m. Central
7-31, 5-16
4
at
7
Western Illinois
10-35, 6-12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
St. Thomas
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
1
0
4
10
2
Western Illinois
0
3
0
1
2
0
0
1
X
7
12
0
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Caden Kratz (1-5)
L: Gartner, Kolby (1-7)
S: Jack Bell (6)
Batting:
2B: Bartholomew, Charlie 1
HR: Taxdahl, Ben 1
RBI: Vujovich, Ben 1 ; Bartholomew, Charlie 1 ; Roder, Joe 1 ; Taxdahl, Ben 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Marsh, Tanner 1 ; Taxdahl, Ben 1 ; Kulesa, Sam 1 ; Enck, Matthew 1
SB: Vos, Joe 1
Batting:
2B: Chase VanDerGinst 1 ; Kyree Alexander 1
RBI: Jake Allgeyer 2 ; Kyree Alexander 3
SH: Chase VanDerGinst 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Nick Mitchell 1 ; Ricky Pospisil 1 ; Jake Allgeyer 1 ; Chase VanDerGinst 2 ; Adam Juran 1 ; Jack Sievers 1
SB: Kyree Alexander 1
CS: Nick Mitchell 1 ; Derek Botaletto 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
C
/ BaseballIF
/ Baseball
RHP/OF
/ BaseballIF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
IF/OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP/OF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
Photo by: Collin Boyles
Kulesa, Moris record four-hit days to help Tommies to split Friday
5/12/2023 6:59:00 PM | Baseball
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Four-hit days from Sam Kulesa and Max Moris, including his first home run of the season, helped St. Thomas Baseball to a split Friday against Western Illinois at Koch Diamond in St. Paul. The Tommies fell in game one 7-4 before taking game two 9-7 behind an eighth-inning rally.
Game One – L, 7-4
Both teams' leadoff hitters singled to start the first inning, including Ben Vujovich's third consecutive leadoff hit for the Tommies. St. Thomas put its leadoff hitter on base again in the second inning but left the bases loaded to head to the bottom half.
WIU took the first lead during the bottom of the second inning with four hits and scored three runs, two earned, on a single through the left side that got past the left fielder.
Tanner Marsh was the third Tommie over the first four innings to reach as the leadoff hitter, singling through the left side. It was the first of three straight hits for St. Thomas, setting up RBIs from Vujovich, Charlie Bartholomew and Joe Roder to tie the game, 3-3.
The Leathernecks followed in the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back leadoff hits to take its final lead of the game. WIU crossed another two runs in the fifth inning and St. Thomas added its final run on a solo home run from Ben Taxdahl, his fourth of the season.
Bartholomew, Matthew Enck and Sam Kulesa each went 2-of-4 from the plate while the bottom three hitters in the lineup accounted for the Toms' four runs, including Taxdahl's pinch hit home run.
Game Two – W, 9-7
Vujovich's on-base streak to lead off a game continued into game two as he led off with a walk. He was one of two runners left stranded in the opening frame before the Purple scored over each of the next three frames.
Dylan O'Connell led off the second inning with a single and later scored an unearned run to draw within one run of WIU. Moris led off the third with his first hit of the game, advanced to third and scored on a sacrifice fly.
The Purple reached base for the fourth straight inning on a single from Roder, who was later picked off stealing. Kulesa and Enck both reached base and scored following a go-ahead triple from Vujovich. After an RBI ground out by Richartz during the next at-bat, Moris sent out a solo home run to push the Tommie lead to 6-3.
The Leathernecks fought back with one run in each of the sixth and seventh innings and retook the lead on two RBI-hits to start the eighth inning.
Following a ground out to start the bottom of the eighth, Roder singled to begin three consecutive base knocks to tie the game 7-7. Following Enck's RBI single to tie the game, Vujovich drove in the game-winning run on an RBI ground out before Brigs Richartz added an insurance run on an RBI single to right field.
Moris finished 3-of-4 with two runs scored, a solo home run and a walk while Vujovich, Kulesa and Roder recorded two hits each. Enck and Kulesa also added two runs each.
Bryce Leedle (1-1) earned the win after throwing the final 1.2 innings with two hits, one walk and one run allowed. Nolan Kemp started the game and went 6.0 innings with nine strikeouts, setting a career high in the second straight game.
The Tommies and Leathernecks continue the series at 1 p.m. Saturday from Koch Diamond.
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas Baseball, follow along on Twitter at @tommiebase and on Instagram at @TommieBaseball
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
Game One – L, 7-4
Both teams' leadoff hitters singled to start the first inning, including Ben Vujovich's third consecutive leadoff hit for the Tommies. St. Thomas put its leadoff hitter on base again in the second inning but left the bases loaded to head to the bottom half.
WIU took the first lead during the bottom of the second inning with four hits and scored three runs, two earned, on a single through the left side that got past the left fielder.
Tanner Marsh was the third Tommie over the first four innings to reach as the leadoff hitter, singling through the left side. It was the first of three straight hits for St. Thomas, setting up RBIs from Vujovich, Charlie Bartholomew and Joe Roder to tie the game, 3-3.
The Leathernecks followed in the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back leadoff hits to take its final lead of the game. WIU crossed another two runs in the fifth inning and St. Thomas added its final run on a solo home run from Ben Taxdahl, his fourth of the season.
Bartholomew, Matthew Enck and Sam Kulesa each went 2-of-4 from the plate while the bottom three hitters in the lineup accounted for the Toms' four runs, including Taxdahl's pinch hit home run.
Game Two – W, 9-7
Vujovich's on-base streak to lead off a game continued into game two as he led off with a walk. He was one of two runners left stranded in the opening frame before the Purple scored over each of the next three frames.
Dylan O'Connell led off the second inning with a single and later scored an unearned run to draw within one run of WIU. Moris led off the third with his first hit of the game, advanced to third and scored on a sacrifice fly.
The Purple reached base for the fourth straight inning on a single from Roder, who was later picked off stealing. Kulesa and Enck both reached base and scored following a go-ahead triple from Vujovich. After an RBI ground out by Richartz during the next at-bat, Moris sent out a solo home run to push the Tommie lead to 6-3.
The Leathernecks fought back with one run in each of the sixth and seventh innings and retook the lead on two RBI-hits to start the eighth inning.
Following a ground out to start the bottom of the eighth, Roder singled to begin three consecutive base knocks to tie the game 7-7. Following Enck's RBI single to tie the game, Vujovich drove in the game-winning run on an RBI ground out before Brigs Richartz added an insurance run on an RBI single to right field.
Moris finished 3-of-4 with two runs scored, a solo home run and a walk while Vujovich, Kulesa and Roder recorded two hits each. Enck and Kulesa also added two runs each.
Bryce Leedle (1-1) earned the win after throwing the final 1.2 innings with two hits, one walk and one run allowed. Nolan Kemp started the game and went 6.0 innings with nine strikeouts, setting a career high in the second straight game.
The Tommies and Leathernecks continue the series at 1 p.m. Saturday from Koch Diamond.
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas Baseball, follow along on Twitter at @tommiebase and on Instagram at @TommieBaseball
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
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