After losing their first game 9-3, dominating sixth inning helped the St. Thomas men’s baseball team split its home opening doubleheader with a 4-1 victory over Macalester College Wednesday at Koch Diamond.
With a narrow 2-1 lead, the Tommies (11-4 overall, 3-1 MIAC) hit their stride in the sixth inning with three hits on Scots (8-7 overall, 2-2 MIAC) pitcher Thomas Shogren before he was pulled for pitcher Andrew Polk. Junior pinch runner Dan Scallon scored on a Scot error and shortstop Rock Cates scored on an RBI single by sophomore outfielder Avery Lehman to give the Tommies a 4-1 lead to end the inning.
“First game we obviously would like to have some things back. We’d like to play better, but I think they did a pretty decent job of flushing it and coming out and playing a better game in game two,” coach Chris Olean said.
The Scots started the game hot with second baseman Anthony Palma hitting a single on the first pitch of the game by junior pitcher Dylan Brend. Palma scored the Scots’ lone run off an RBI single by outfielder Sam Goldberg in the first inning.
Brend only allowed the Scots seven hits on 27 batting attempts and one run before he was pulled after the sixth inning for sophomore Matt Brooks.
“We never like to lose two in a double-header,” Brooks said. “After that first game we were playing for a split, that’s all we could do, we had to come out with a lot more energy and we did that.”
The Tommies did not get their first hit until Lehman’s double in the third inning. Lehman later tied the game 1-1 off an RBI single by Dan Bollingberg later in the inning.
“Going back to the first game I was a little frustrated with the team, myself obviously, I just wanted to do everything I could to put us in the best chance to win the second game,” Lehman said.
The Tommies travel to Wisconsin for a doubleheader against UW-La Crosse Thursday.
Matthew Curry can be reached at curr1523@stthomas.edu.