05/01/07

St. Scholastica rudely welcomed the Olies from St. Olaf College to Duluth on Tuesday afternoon with an 11-5 win over the nation's sixth-ranked team in the first game of a double-header at Wade Stadium.

After St. Olaf posted a pair of runs in the top of the first, the Saints bounced back to tie the score with two of their own in the bottom half of the inning.

After a Blake Eller walk and Steve Kraushaar double, the Saints had runners at second and third with one out. Keith Ritsche's sacrifice fly to center brought Eller home for the first run and Brandon Swartz followed with a double to left that enabled Kraushaar to score the tying run.

It was a big fifth inning that did the most damage for the Saints, though, as they pushed five runs across the plate to break out on top 7-3.

They scored all five runs with two outs in the inning, keyed by a 3-RBI double from Eller that scored Swartz, Kyle Wojtysiak, and Darin Carlson.

The Saints would go on to score at least one run in the next three innings while holding a potent St. Olaf offensive attack at bay.

Starter Mark Moriarty (7-2) scattered four hits over the first four innings on the mound for the Saints with all five runs that St. Olaf scored coming after either walks or a hit batsman. Otherwise, Moriarty kept the Olies bats quiet in earning the win.

Adian Kummet pitched the final three innings for the Saints and allowed just one hit without a run or a walk while fanning five to earn his first save of the year.

Justin Tobias (0-1) took the loss for St. Olaf, lasting only two and two-thirds innings, surrendering five runs and five walks.