MIAC Baseball Playoffs

Game 6: St. Thomas 7, Augsburg 0 Box Score [St. Thomas wins fifth title]
Tournament MVP Brett Olson was 3-for-3 with a double, RBI and two runs scored as the University of St. Thomas broke to an early 5-0 lead and cruised to a 7-0 win over fourth-seeded Augsburg in the MIAC Playoff title game.

The Tommies (30-10) won the MIAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Baseball Championships by winning their fifth conference post-season title in six years and moving to 16-4 all-time in the MIAC Playoffs. The Tommies have now won 20 of their last 22 games.

Starter Will Montgomery (4-0) gave UST six strong innings, allowing four hits and fanning four, as four different pitchers combined on the shutout for the Tommies. In three MIAC Playoff games, Tommie pitching allowed but one earned run in 27 innings of play.

The Tommies scored three times in the first, highlighted by Sean Young’s two-run single, and added two more in the second on an Olson RBI single and a Josh Howard RBI groundout.

Game 5: Augsburg 9, Concordia 6 Box Score [Concordia eliminated]
Andrew Werner clubbed a three-run homer and drove in five runs as fourth-seeded Augsburg used a four-run third inning to hold off third-seeded Concordia-Moorhead, 9-6, in an elimination game. Werner had a two-run double during the four-run third and added a three-run blast to leftfield after the Cobbers had crept back within a run at 6-5. Tyler Kraft (5-1) pitched four-and-one-third innings in relief, allowing but one hit and allowing one unearned run. Troy Deden was 3-for-5 with a double and RBI and Ricky Schreier added three hits and scored three runs for the Auggies (24-17), who moved into the title game for the first time in school history. Brian Knoblauch had two hits for the Cobbers (18-21), who were held to six hits in the contest. Keven Engebretson (1-4) suffered the loss, lasting but two-and-one-third innings while allowing eight hits and six runs, all earned.

Game 4: Augsburg 2, St. Olaf 1 Box Score [St. Olaf eliminated]
Andrew Werner’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning drove in Troy Deden with the game-winning run to give Augsburg (23-17) a 2-1 win over St. Olaf (23-17).

Deden reached base on a fielding error, was moved to second on a single by Taylor Pagel, and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Ricky Schreier, setting the stage for Werner’s game-winning sacrifice fly. Deden scored both runs for the Auggies in the game.

Darren Ginther pitched a career-long nine-inning three-hitter for Augsburg, striking out eight while walking only one. St. Olaf’s Eric Tobias also pitched a complete game, striking out three.

Augsburg scored its first run in the second inning, when Deden singled, moved to third on a double by Taylor Pagel, and came across on a single by Mike Zaun. Pagel went 3-for-4 to lead the Auggies.

St. Olaf tied the game in the sixth, when Josh Maus hit a leadoff triple and scored on a double-play grounder. St. Olaf stranded four runners on base, while Augsburg stranded five.

Augsburg will play Concordia (18-20) in an elimination game on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Memorial Park in Dundas. Concordia lost 3-2 to St. Thomas (29-10) in the second game on Friday in Dundas.

Game 3: St. Thomas 3, Concordia 2 (12) Box Score
Brian Krause pitched six-and-two-thirds inning of one-hit relief, leading St. Thomas (29-10) to a 3-2, 12-inning victory over Concordia-Moorhead (18-20). Krause struck out three in long relief of starter Riley Bosch, who struck out four in five-and-a-third innings of work.

St. Thomas won the game on an unearned run in the 12^th inning, when Josh Howard was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a passed ball, moved to third on a grounder and scored when Zach Goldberg struck out and reached first base on another passed ball. Krause then retired the Cobbers in order in the 12^th to pick up the win.

A Mike Moran single drove in the first Tommie run in the first inning, and a double by Howard plated another run in the seventh.

Concordia tied the game in the seventh, as Bryant Bergeson drove in Scott Johnson on a groundout, and a second run came across on an error.

Blake Trenbeath pitched six-and-a-third innings for Concordia, striking out four, with Josh Dietz striking out six in long relief.

Concordia will face Augsburg in an elimination game on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Dundas, with the winner advancing to face St. Thomas at 4 p.m.

Game 2: Concordia 5, St. Olaf 1 Box Score
Bryan Romsa took a perfect game into the eighth inning before settling for complete-game two hitter as the third-seeded Cobbers beat the second-seeded Oles, 5-1. Romsa (7-2) lost the perfect and no-hitter with no outs in the eighth, but fanned five and walked none. Aaron Eckhoff was 3-for-4 with a RBI and run scored. Billy Denet had three hits and Scott Halupczok and Brian Schumacher had two hits each for the Cobbers. Will Huepenbecker (6-4) suffered the loss, allowing seven hits and four runs, all earned, with four walks.

Game 1: St. Thomas 4, Augsburg 1 Box Score
Fresman Chris Bullis tossed a complete-game five hitter as top seed St. Thomas won its sixth straight opening round game by beating Augsburg, 4-1. The Tommies used a two-run fifth, as Mike Kimlinger's run-scoring double with two outs scored pinch-runner Mike Kuzniar while Brett Olson's single up the middle plated Kimlinger. Bullis (4-0), whose longest previous outing was four innings, retired the final 11 batters he faced. Jeremy Nelson (8-3) suffered the loss, allowing five hits and two runs. Matt Johnson had two hits for the Auggies.