SCSU sweeps doubleheader to earn series win over Mary

Sunday, April 23

St. Cloud, Minn.

1:00 p.m. CT

St. Cloud State

20-14, 12-7

Mary

15-23, 8-15

Mary

St. Cloud State

Photo by: Ryan Roehl

4/23/2023 7:50:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Huskies look for sweep on Monday in series finale at Joe Faber Field

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Baseball (21-14, 13-7 NSIC) earned a doubleheader sweep of Mary (15-24, 8-16 NSIC) on Sunday afternoon at Joe Faber Field, downing the Marauders 13-2 and 6-5 to secure a series win. The Huskies belted four home runs in game one before leaning on clutch hitting to take the second tilt.

Game One: St. Cloud State 13, Mary 2

Sam Riola (3-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI) homered twice while John Nett (2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI), Tyler Schiller (2-for-3, BB, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI) and Ethan Navratil (2-for-3, 2 R, HR, RBI, SAC) added multi-hit games to lead a lineup that struck early in a 13-2 series-opening win.

Drew Bulson (1-for-3, BB, RBI) plated a run with an RBI groundout in the first, then a five-run second fueled by a two-run Nett triple and a towering two-run shot off the bat of Riola made it 6-0 Huskies early. Tate Wallat (0-for-1, BB, HBP, R, RBI, SF) added a sacrifice fly in the third, giving Luke Tupy all the run support he would need.

Tupy fanned nine while walking none over 5.0 innings of two-run ball, scattering four hits. The All-American recorded 13 swinging strikes on 79 pitches – good for a 16.5% whiff rate – and attacked Mary with his fastball to earn his fourth win of 2023.

Three more long balls – a two-run Schiller shot and a three-run Riola bomb in the fifth followed by a solo homer off the bat of Navratil in the sixth – extended the Huskies lead to 13-2. David Van Ort fired a 1-2-3 sixth, then Cooper Avery finished things off by retiring the side with a pair of punchouts in the seventh.

Game Two: St. Cloud State 6, Mary 5

Fresh off his two-homer game in the opener, Sam Riola (3-for-4, 2 R, 2B) followed with a second three-hit game in the nightcap alongside nine strikeouts over 6.0 innings of work on the hill. Riola allowed four runs on four hits and two walks, exiting in line for the win before ultimately settling for a no-decision.

After the Marauders opened the scoring with a run in the first, SCSU answered with a Tyler Schiller (1-for-4, R, 2 RBI) game-tying RBI single and a go-ahead RBI double off the bat of Ethan Navratil (1-for-4, 2B, RBI) in the home half. John Nett (2-for-5, R, 2B, RBI) doubled in a run in the second, then Mary responded with a three spot in the third to make it 4-3.

Garrett Bevacqua (2-for-2, R, RBI) tied the game with an RBI single in the fourth. An inning later, Sawyer Smith (1-for-3, RBI, SAC) extended his on-base streak to 17 games with a go-ahead single grounded back up the middle.

Mary knotted things at five each with a run in the seventh, then gave the ball to their ace on three days rest after throwing a complete game shutout in their midweek series. Nett and Riola opened the frame with back-to-back singles, then advanced 90 feet each on a Smith sacrifice bunt. Schiller grounded a ball to the left side that caught the shortstop in a difficult angle, allowing Nett to alertly race home on an RBI groundout.

Grady Fuchs earned the win in relief while Ethan Lanthier and David Van Ort recorded holds. Van Ort entered into a critical spot with two on in the eighth and struck out the lone man he faced, sending the game to the ninth with SCSU leading 6-5. Jack Habeck put the side away in order to slam the door, picking up his first save of the season.

Up Next
The Huskies and Marauders close their series with a 1:00 p.m. CT finale at Joe Faber Field on Monday, April 24.

For all the latest on St. Cloud State Baseball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.