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Baseball splits with Augsburg at Dome
Friday, March 05, 2010 Joseph Baer Minneapolis, Minn. – The Bethany baseball team played a late night double header at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome against Augsburg on Thursday night. The Vikings dropped a 10-inning thriller by the score of 1-3, before responding with a 9-0 shutout of the Auggies in game two.
Game One (L, 1-3)
A pitcher’s duel unfolded in game one as both offenses struggled to get on the scoreboard. It wasn’t until the bottom of the fourth when Bethany catcher Andy Jorges (Corcoran, Minn./Central Lakes CC) broke up the stalemate with a solo home run to left field. Bethany hung on to the one run lead until the top of the seventh, when Augsburg’s seniors Craig Henry (Lino Lakes Minn./Centenniial) and Joe Pierce (Eden Prairie, Minn.) led off the inning with a double and RBI single. Junior Cody Hallahan (Silver Lake, Minn./Minnesota State-Mankato), making his second start in three games for the Vikings, pitched out of bases loaded, one out jam to keep the game tied at 1.
After a scoreless bottom of the seventh and top of the eighth, Bethany squandered another opportunity by leaving a runner at third in the bottom of the eighth. The Vikings finished the game with 11 men left on base. Henry and Pierce struck once again for the Auggies in the top of the tenth with back to back RBI singles and the Auggies snuck away with the two run victory. Henry finished the game three for five with an RBI and a run scored.
Hallahan (ND, 1-0) pitched seven innings, gave up five hits, and struck out nine in the loss. Ben Schroeder (Minneapolis, Minn./Dakota County CC) pitched a scoreless eighth for the Vikings and Justin Kohls (L, 0-1) (Watertown, Minn./Dakota County CC) pitched the ninth and tenth and was tagged with the loss. Augsburg started junior Kristofer Ozga (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Stevenson). Ozga gave up five hits, including the home run, in six innings pitched. Mark Heise (W, 1-0) (Foley, Minn.) picked up the win for the Auggies, giving up just one hit in the final four innings.
Game Two (W, 9-0)
The Vikings avenged their game one loss with a convincing nine run shutout of the Auggies in game two. After scoring the first run in the second, Bethany extended their lead with a break out six run, six hit fourth inning. Jorges started the scoring in the inning with a two run triple to deep left center. Zach Herd (Gaylord, Minn/Sibley East) and Nick Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) added an RBI double and triple respectively.
The offensive breakout was more than starter Darin Hendley (W, 2-0) (Nicollet, Minn/Mankato East) needed. Hendley pitched five shutout innings to pick up his second win in as many starts. He struck out six Augsburg hitters and gave up just three hits. Senior Michael Greibrok (Glenville, Minn./Glenville-Emmons) relieved Hendley with a perfect sixth and seventh to seal the victory for the Vikings. Augsburg marched five different pitchers to the mound in the loss. Starter Marshall Nelson (L, 0-1) (Albertville, Minn./West Lutheran) was tagged with the loss, giving up five runs (four earned) in 3.1 innings pitched.
All nine starters reached base safely for the Vikings in game two, eight of them with hits. Travis Fisher (Cedar, Minn/St. Francis) went two for two with two RBIs, a walk, and a run scored. Fisher reached base in six of seven plate appearances in the double-header. Herd finished the game with two doubles, an RBI, and a run scored. Ben Smith (Watertown, Minn./Minnesota State-Mankato) finished the game with two hits, including a double, two runs scored, and a stolen base. Jorges added two RBIs and two runs scored in the victory.
The Vikings will continue their non-conference schedule over spring break in Florida.
Hendley and Hallahan, UMAC Player and Pitcher of the Week
Tuesday, March 02, 2010 Julie Thomas Mankato, Minn. – Bethany Lutheran ruled the UMAC Baseball Player of the Week awards after sweeping Carleton over the weekend. The Vikings beat the Knights at the Metrodome 5-0, and 6-3 to start the season.
Player of the Week Darin Hendley (Nicollet, Minn./Mankato East) wasted no time as he belted a grand slam in his first at bat versus the Knights. Hendley was responsible for all 5 RBI’s in the first victory after hitting a double to finalize the score. The junior went 3-7 at the plate and totaled seven RBI's.
Pitcher of the Week was awarded to junior Cody Hallahan (Sliver Lake, Minn./Minnesota State, Mankato) who pitched lights out versus Carleton. The Viking's hurler threw five shutout innings, striking out ten of 16 batters. Hallahan allowed only one hit and one walk during the Vikings first win.
Next, the Vikings will play a doubleheader at the Metrodome on March 4th against Augsburg at 10 p.m.
Baseball sweeps Carleton in season opener
Monday, March 01, 2010 Joseph Baer Minneapolis, Minn. – The Bethany baseball team traveled to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Sunday to open its 2010 campaign against non-conference opponent Carleton College. The Vikings swept the double-header by the scores of 5-0 and 6-3.
Game One (W, 5-0)
Flashback to March 5, 2007 in Port Charlotte, Fla. Freshman Darin Hendley (Nicollet, Minn./Mankato East) is at the plate in his first ever collegiate at bat. He homers. Now, after taking a year off in 2009, Hendley is back in a Vikings uniform and what does he do in his first at-bat back? He hits a first-inning grand slam. Hendley later added an RBI double in the sixth and knocked in the first seven runs of the Bethany season (all five in game one). Those five runs would be all the offense the Vikings needed.
Junior transfers Cody Hallahan (Silver Lake, Minn./Minnesota State-Mankato) and Justin Kohls (Watertown, Minn./Dakota County CC) combined for a one-hit shutout in their Bethany pitching debuts. Hallahan (W, 1-0) allowed only two baserunners in his five innings of work. He also sat down the first five batters of the game on strikes and finished the game with 10 strike outs total. Kohls pitched a hitless sixth and seventh while striking out two.
Game Two (W, 6-3)
In the second half of the double-header, Bethany took another early 4-0 lead with two runs in each of the first two innings. Hendley notched a two-run single in the first and the Vikings managed to cross two more home in the second after working the bases loaded with one out.
Hendley (W, 1-0) also took the mound in game two and pitched two shutout innings before finding trouble in the third. Carleton’s top of the order loaded the bases with no one out. Hendley responded by striking out the clean up hitter, but Patrick Philley (Gig Harbor, Wash./Charles Wright Academy) answered with a two run single that eventually scored three when the Bethany outfield made one of its two errors of the day.
The Vikings then added two runs in the fourth to extend the one run lead to three. Trent Sonnickson (Blue Earth, Minn./Blue Earth Area) bounced an RBI single past a sliding second baseman in the inning. Michael Greibrok (Glenville, Minn/Glenville-Emmons) then pitched three shutout innings of relief before passing the ball off to Ben Schroeder (Minneapolis, Minn./Dakota County CC) (S, 1) for a perfect seventh and a save.
The relatively quiet Viking offense had many contributors. Nick Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) hit safety in each game, including a double and a run scored. Zach Herd (Gaylord, Minn./Sibley East) and Chris Porter (Ft. Dodge, Iowa/Iowa Central CC) each scored two runs in game two. The aforementioned Sonnickson finished the double-header four for six with two runs scored and a stolen base. Justin Schwecke (Buffalo Lake, Minn./Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop) scored three runs and added a stolen base while newcomer Ben Smith (Watertown, Minn./Minnesota State-Mankato) notched his first RBI and stolen base as a Viking.
Bethany Baseball tops UMAC preseason coaches' poll for first time in history
Thursday, February 25, 2010 Greg Johnson, UMAC Sports Information Director 1. Bethany Lutheran College - 48 Points (6 First Place Votes)
2. College of St. Scholastica - 44 Points (2)
3. Northwestern College - 34 Points
4. Presentation College - 30 Points
5. Northland College - 24 Points
6. Martin Luther College - 22 Points
7. University of Minnesota-Morris - 15 Points
8. Crown College - 7 points
St. Paul - The 2010 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) baseball preseason coaches’ poll results may cause a couple of double-takes. Bethany Lutheran College, the second-place finisher in the 2009 conference race and UMAC Tournament runner-up, was the overwhelming pick to win the league in 2010. If the Vikings were to prove the preseason prediction right and win the UMAC championship, they would end a 13-year supremacy by the College of St. Scholastica, who has advanced to the NCAA tournament in each of the last five seasons.
Bethany Lutheran, who received 48 points and six first place votes in the poll, are coming off a great year that brought national attention to the program. The Vikings were well-represented in numerous NCAA national statistics categories in both hitting and pitching in 2009. Bethany returns all but two starters from last year’s team that went 17-3 in UMAC play in addition to four transfer students who are expected to make an immediate impact. Justin Schwecke (Buffalo Lake, Minn./ Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop) and Ashton Dorris (Casseville, Mo./ Iowa Central CC), the reigning UMAC Pitcher and Player of the Year, come back for their senior seasons as does all-conference players Trent Sonnicksen (Blue Earth, Minn./ Blue Earth Area), Nick Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind./ Lawrence North), Travis Fisher (Cedar, Minn./ St. Francis) and Michael Greibrok (Glenville, Minn./ Glenville-Emmons). Joining the Vikings in 2010 is Ben Smith (Watertown, Minn./Hamline), a transfer who hit .367 with 17 doubles and 42 RBI at Hamline a year ago. Another transfer who will make headlines right away is pitcher Cody Hallahan (Silver Lake, Minn./Minnesota State, Mankato), who spent two years at Minnesota State, Mankato.
The Vikings will start the season this Sunday against Carleton at 12:15 p.m. in the Metrodome.
Bethany baseball’s Schwecke and Dorris named NCAA All-Region, both to play for the Kutztown Rockies
Friday, May 29, 2009 Melissa Young Mankato, Minn.—Bethany Lutheran junior center fielder Justin Schwecke (Buffalo Lake, Minn./Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop) and junior left-handed pitcher Ashton Dorris (Cassville, Mo./Iowa Central) have been named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) NCAA Division III All-Midwest region teams. Both Schwecke and Dorris have also signed a contract to play in the NCAA summer baseball league for the Kutztown Rockies of Kutztown, Pennsylvania.
Schwecke was named to the ABCA NCAA All-Midwest Region First Team. During the 2009 season, Schwecke led the Vikings with a .456 batting average, 68 hits, 16 doubles, 6 triples, 57 runs scored, 62 runs batted in, and 20 stolen bases. He also led the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) in hits, RBIs, runs, and triples for which he was named UMAC Player of the Year. Schwecke, also a right-handed pitcher, posted a 1.72 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched and finished with a 1-0 record on the mound, to go along with five saves.
Bethany’s ace, Dorris, was named to the ABCA NCAA All-Midwest Region Third Team. Dorris finished the 2009 season with an undefeated 8-0 record on the mound. He posted a 3.06 ERA and struck out 84 hitters in 70.2 innings. Dorris was also named UMAC Pitcher of the Year for his efforts in conference play.
Both Schwecke and Dorris are excited about the opportunity to play for the Kutztown Rockies. The team is a member of The Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League (ACBL), which is located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is one of eight leagues in the National Alliance of Summer Baseball. The league is well known and has experienced success having several players appear in Minor and Major League Baseball.
Baseball team posts winningest season in recent history
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 Joseph Baer Mankato, Minn. – The Bethany baseball team finished the 2009 season with a 29-10 record, including a 17-3 record to place them second within the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC). The team also fell one win short of a UMAC postseason championship. Coach Ryan Kragh was happy with the way his team competed. “Although we didn’t complete our main goal of winning the conference,” Kragh said, “this team exceeded all expectations and is the winningest Bethany baseball team in many years, maybe ever.”
Five individuals earned All-Conference recognition, with two others making the honorable mention. Juniors Justin Schwecke (Buffalo Lake, Minn./Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop) and Ashton Dorris (Cassville, Mo./Iowa Central) were named UMAC player and pitcher of the year respectively. Schwecke led the team with a .456 batting average, 68 hits, 16 doubles, 6 triples, 57 runs scored, 62 runs batted in, and 20 stolen bases. He also led the UMAC in hits, RBIs, runs, and triples. Schwecke also posted a 1.72 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched. He finished with a 1-0 record on the mound and saved five games. Bethany’s ace, Dorris finished the season with an undefeated 8-0 record on the mound. He posted a 3.06 ERA and struck out 84 hitters in 70.2 innings.
Other All-Conference bids went to Nick Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North), Trent Sonnickson (Blue Earth, Minn./Blue Earth Area), and Wade Dollerschell (Olivia, Minn./BOLD). Michael Greibrok (Glenville, Minn./Glenville-Emmons) and Travis Fisher (Cedar, Minn./St. Francis) both received honorable mention. Sonnickson and Dollerschell both finished the season batting above .400. Johnson and Fisher led the team in home runs with five a piece and Johnson drove home 47 runs. Greibrok started 11 games for Bethany and finished the season 6-1 with a 5.04 ERA. He showed great control, striking out 40 hitters while only walking 13 in his 60.2 innings.
Looking ahead to the 2010 season, Bethany loses just three seniors and two starters. They also return their entire pitching staff. Coach Kragh has big goals for the group moving forward, “A lot of new faces came in and contributed beyond expectations this year. Next year, we have the strongest recruiting class since I started being a coach. We are going to be a fun team to watch.”
Baseball falls to St. Scholastica in UMAC Championship game
Saturday, May 09, 2009 Melissa Young Duluth, Minn.—The Vikings came out of the gates strong in the second game of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Championship Series Friday night. After being defeated 30-4 in the first game of the evening, the Vikings looked to show what they had left. Unfortunately the Vikings came up short, allowing the Saints to claim their 13th consecutive UMAC Conference Championship.
The Vikings posted three runs in their first at-bat as the first two batters reached on a walk and error respectively, followed by a RBI single from Justin Schwecke (Buffalo Lake, Minn./Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop), and a sacrifice bunt from Nick Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) to load the bases. First baseman Wade Dollerschell (Olivia, Minn./BOLD) then hit a single to center to bring two across the plate.
The Saints recorded two unearned runs of their own in the bottom of the first when they loaded the bases and used a Bethany error to their advantage.
The Vikings put runners on base in the second but found themselves in trouble as Chris Porter (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge) was called out in a rundown and Travis Fisher (Cedar, Minn./St. Francis) was caught stealing during the rundown and thrown out at home. With a runner on third, Zach Herd (Gaylord, Minn./Sibley East) hit a RBI double to put the Vikings ahead 4-2.
The lead wouldn’t last long, as the Saints scored 10 runs in the bottom of the second to take the lead 12-4. Saints’ second baseman had a pair of doubles and recorded five RBI for the inning. Tom Juberian followed with a three-run double and Chad Peterson brought two runners home with a sacrifice fly and an infield single.
After making a come-back in the game on Thursday night, the Vikings were not about to give up. They loaded the bases in the third frame and called up Fisher, who answered the call and hit a double to left center to bring home three. Trent Sonnicksen (Blue Earth, Minn./Blue Earth Area) added an RBI single and advanced on a throw to bring Fisher home. Not done yet, Herd advanced after being hit by a pitch and Schwecke hit an RBI double to left field, cinching the Saints lead to 12-9.
Bethany’s Michael Griebrok (L, 5-2 ,Glenville, Minn./Glenville-Emmons) held the Saints scoreless until the sixth inning when junior Paul Kolodge hit a home run to center. The Saints only other run came in the bottom of the eighth, from a Joe Link sacrifice fly. The Vikings struggled to find their groove against Saints’ pitcher Josh Hawkins (W, 1-0) who struck out eight batters and allowed only five hits in 6.1 innings.
The Vikings finish the season at 29-10 overall and 17-3 in the UMAC, while the Saints finish as the 2009 regular season and postseason champions with a 35-5 record overall and 19-1 in the UMAC.
Baseball defeats St. Scholastica in extra innings, advances to UMAC Championship
Friday, May 08, 2009 Melissa Young Duluth, Minn.—The second seeded Bethany baseball team, met the number one seeded St. Scholastica on the Saints home field on Thursday night in the second round of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Postseason Tournament. While it looked like the Saints might pull through for the win, the Vikings never gave up and came back to win the game 10-9 in ten innings.
The Saints pulled ahead, taking an early lead, holding the Vikings scoreless until the top of the fifth when Bethany loaded up the bases following a Chris Porter (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge) sacrifice bunt. The Vikings took advantage of a passed ball and a Saints error to put two runs on the board to tie up the score.
St. Scholastica answered back when Paul Kolodge hit a two-run triple off the left center field wall and brought the score to 4-2. With an additional RBI single from Brandon Peterson and three additional runs scored by the Saints in the bottom of the sixth (8-2) it was time to hear from the Vikings once again.
The game was far from over when the Vikings perked up and scored three in the seventh to chip away at the Saints’ lead. After back-to-back walks, a bunt by Porter, and a wild pitch, the Vikings were in scoring position. Trent Sonnicksen (Blue Earth Minn./Blue Earth Area) and Zach Herd each picked up a single RBI driving two runs across. Justin Schwecke (Buffalo Lake, Minn./Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop) followed with a RBI triple to right center to cut the Saints’ lead to 8-5.
After a scoreless eighth inning, Bethany kept at it, loading the bases early after a double by Sonnicksen, a walk and a single from Schwecke. A wild pitch followed and brought Sonnicksen home, cinching the lead to 8-6. Steve Hovland (Waseca, Minn./Mayville State Univ.) hit a single to right field and advanced on the throw to bring in two runners and tied the game at eight.
The Saints were unable to score in the bottom of the ninth despite loading the bases. They came close as it appeared there was an error off of a ground ball, but the play was ruled as runner-interference forcing the game into extra innings.
The Vikings took the lead in the top of the 10th with bases loaded and two outs after Johnson hit a single through the right side to bring in two runs, giving Bethany the 10-8 lead.
The Saints had one more opportunity to steal the show but didn’t have it in them despite loading the bases and forcing a run after a walk.
The Vikings took the 10-9 victory and will now move on to the Championship game where they will meet the winner of the elimination game (St. Scholastica # 1 vs. Northwestern # 4) at 4 p.m., on Friday, May 8.
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