PORT CHARLOTTE, FL – The ninth-ranked St. Olaf College baseball team defeated Union, 13-7, Tuesday afternoon.
Zach Tillo (Lancaster, MA/ Exeter) went two-for-three with three RBI to lead the Dutchmen (1-5).
Union took a 2-0 lead to start the game when
Kyle Murphy (Plymouth, MA/ Phillips Andover Academy) and
Matt Smith (Latham, NY/ LaSalle Institute) scored on a Tillo single that dropped in left field.
St. Olaf (11-1) tied the game in the bottom of the inning on a Josh Schultheis double before Union took the lead again in the top of the third. Smith and
Eric Giovannone (New Hartford, NY/ New Hartford) reached on walks and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by
Brian Rhone (Dedham, MA/ Loomis Chaffee). Tillo plated Smith on a sac fly to right to give the Dutchmen a 3-2 lead in the middle of the third.
The Oles collected three runs in the bottom of the third on three-straight extra-base hits and an RBI single by Schultheis, but Union tied the game at 5-5 in the top of the fourth.
Scott Carroll (Scituate, MA/ Scituate) walked to lead off the inning and then advanced to third when
Andy Brown (Saratoga Springs, NY/ Saratoga Springs) singled. Carroll scored and Brown advanced as
Ryan Bowes (Hamilton, NJ/ The Peddie School) grounded out to first, then Brown scored on a Smith single through the left side.
St. Olaf pulled away, outscoring the Dutchmen 5-2 over the next two innings, collecting five hits in the fifth and sixth. Chris Terrazas plated one more runner in the seventh before Union reliever
Dave Carson (No. Marshfield, MA/ Thayer Academy) held the Oles scoreless and struck out one in the final inning of his first career appearance.
Brian McLaughlin (Norwood, NJ/ Old Tappan) pitched the first four innings for the Dutchmen before being relieved by
Roy Erikson (So. Nyack, NY/ Hackley School), who pitched the fifth inning.
David Arouca (Wilmette, IL/ Blair Academy) hurled the sixth and seventh innings in his first collegiate appearance.
Alex Beckman earned the win for St. Olaf, allowing three runs (two earned) in two innings of relief.
The Dutchmen and Oles face off for a final time on Wednesday, March 28 at 11:00 a.m. Union will then take on DePauw at 2:30 p.m.
