04/15/07

After spotting UM-Morris a 4-0 lead following the first inning, the Saints launched an all out attack on Cougar hurlers pounding out 17 hits in their 29-5 win over Morris on Sunday afternoon.

The game, the first of a doubleheader, was originally scheduled as part of a three-game series to be hosted by the Cougars in Morris, Minn., on Friday and Saturday but field conditions prevented those games from taking place. Instead, the two teams found their way to St. Paul on Sunday where they were able to face-off against each other on Northwestern College's home field.

Morris (1-8, 0-1 UMAC) picked up four runs from their first five batters before Saints starter Steve Gerten gave way to Eric Hagen who immediately shut down the inning with three consecutive outs.

The Saints (16-3, 4-0) cut into the lead in the next half inning on a Sean Tracy 3-run homerun and then took the lead for good in the top of third with three more runs.

The big attack was yet to come, though, as the Saints scored 18 runs over the next two innings.

In the fourth inning they sent 10 batters to the plate and scored six runs, amazingly on only one hit as the Saints drew six walks in the inning. Brandon Swartz had the lone hit in the inning and eventually came around to score the final run on a Darin Carlson ground-out.

The fireworks were just beginning for the Saints as they followed that inning up with a 12-run outburst in the fifth.

Seven different batters reached base twice in the inning and three -- Blake Eller, Steve Kraushaar, and Mike Lewis -- scored two runs apiece in an inning that saw 17 players step into the batter's box for the Saints.

In all, 13 different Saints collected at least one hit in the slaughter. Blake Eller, Swartz, Tracy, and Carlson each stroked two hits in the offensive explosion.

Tracy finished up the game with seven RBI to lead the Saints, picking up at least one RBI in each of his four at-bats.

Keith Ritsche and Sean Claugherty proved to be just as damaging to the Cougars despite rapping out one hit each. Ritsche reached base and scored four out of four at-bats while Claugherty got on base five times and scored four runs in the win.

Hagen (2-0) picked up the win after allowing only one run on four hits and two walks while picking up six strikeouts over six innings.

Brandon Fritz came on in relief of Hagen in the seventh, closing out the Saints win with two strikeouts and an infield pop-out.

For Morris, starter Andy Schuster took the loss but was one of five Cougar pitchers that walked 18 Saints, struck out only two, and gave up 29 earned runs.