Center fielder Jake Smith hit a grand slam in the third inning as the St. Thomas baseball team battled back to win game two of a doubleheader 13-6 against 25th ranked-St. Scholastica after dropping the opening game 2-1 on Sunday.
The Tommies (25-14 overall, 16-4 MIAC) notched 15 hits against the Saints (29-8 overall, 16-0 UMAC) in game two, compared to only seven in game one.
“The bats waking up in game two was good for our confidence,” St. Thomas coach Chris Olean said. “To see some guys come off the schneid a little bit and start hitting was big.”
St. Thomas’s bats caught fire in the third inning when the Tommies scored seven runs, capped off by Smith’s grand slam over the right field fence to give St. Thomas an 8-0 lead.
After the Tommies added another run in the fourth inning on an error, the Saints answered back with five runs, including three on a home run by third baseman Brian Minks, cutting the Tommie lead to 9-5.
But the Tommies put the game away in the bottom of the fifth when senior left fielder Josh Sharp homered to left field on Senior Day at Koch Diamond, giving St. Thomas a 12-5 lead.
“It was a great moment,” Smith said. “I’m sure he’ll never forget that.”
Grant Gunderson pitched four scoreless innings, allowed only four hits and struck out four batters.
“Gunderson did a phenomenal job with a spot start today,” Olean said. “He threw extremely well.”
Pitcher Henry Decaster recorded his first loss of the season in game one, lasting six innings, striking out eight and allowing two runs on six hits. Both runs were scored in the second inning when St. Scholastica strung together four consecutive hits.
St. Thomas’s lone run came when catcher Logan Kohorst homered off of the Saints’ starting pitcher Martin Alcoverde inside the left field foul pole in the bottom of the second.
The Tommies had perhaps their best chance to tie or win the game in the fifth inning when left fielder Sam Cobbs, second baseman Zach Gottfredsen and third baseman Sam Schneider occupied the bases with one out. Saints reliever Isaac Rocha then struck out designated hitter Josh Thorp and got first baseman Hunter Hart to pop out to end the inning.
St. Thomas had one last chance in the seventh, when Smith doubled off the wall in center field to start the inning. After Gottfredsen sacrificed Smith to third, Cobbs struck out and Schneider grounded out to third to end the game.
“Game one was real tight and we just didn’t come up with a big hit when we needed one,” Olean said.
Sunday was Senior Day at Koch Diamond, with 11 seniors playing their last regular season home game as Tommies.
“These seniors all have been very selfless, recognizing what the team’s needs are before their own.” Olean said. “It’s often hard when you see freshman out there playing but they have been very supportive, and we appreciate them for that.”
Smith thinks highly of his senior teammates and is happy when they succeed.
“The seniors have been leaders for us and brought an attitude that has made us younger guys mature early and follow in their footsteps,” Smith said. “It’s great to see guys who have been working for four years get their chance.”
While the Tommies took on the Saints, Bethel swept Saint Mary’s to share the MIAC title with the St. Thomas and gave the Royals the top seed in the MIAC tournament.
The Tommies received the second seed and will play third-seed St. John’s at 7 p.m. Thursday in the first round at Cold Spring Baseball Park, setting up a renewal of the Tommie-Johnnie rivalry.
“(The St. John‘s games) mean a lot to me, personally,” Smith said. “Tommie-Johnnie is more than just the name, there’s some bad blood… we aren’t satisfied with just sweeping them during the year and there are few other teams I’d rather play in the first round of the playoffs.”
Olean knows the Johnnies will provide a tough first round challenge.
“St. John’s will be good,” Olean said. “They are a scrappy, offensive team that puts the ball in play, and they’ve got a couple good pitchers who can give you a hard time so that’s why it’s postseason baseball and it’ll be hard, we have to play well.”
Taylor Smith can be reached at smit9660@stthomas.edu.