Saturday, April 29
Duluth, Minn.
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Minnesota Duluth
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St. Cloud State
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Minnesota Duluth
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Photo by: Ryan Roehl
Riola ties career home run record, Nett collects 200th career hit as Huskies split in Duluth
4/29/2023 8:45:00 PM | Baseball
Sam Riola belts career home run No. 35 while John Nett collects 200th hit in SCSU uniform in split with Bulldogs
DULUTH, Minn. – St. Cloud State Baseball (25-15, 17-8 NSIC) enjoyed a historic day for lineup anchors Sam Riola and John Nett in a Saturday split at Minnesota Duluth (17-24, 10-18 NSIC), falling 7-6 in extra innings before taking game two 14-9. Riola blasted his 35th home run in a St. Cloud State uniform during Saturday's second game, tying Zak "Squatch" Hoffman's career record, while Nett's second-inning single in game one marked his 200th with the Huskies. The Huskies remain a game and a half behind third-place Minnesota Crookston entering Sunday's series finale.
Game One: Minnesota Duluth 7, St. Cloud State 6 (Final/9)
John Nett's (3-for-5, R) second-inning single – his second knock of a three-hit day – welcomed the junior to the program's illustrious 200 Hit Club as he and four other Huskies recorded multi-hit games in a heartbreaking 7-6 extra-innings loss to open the series. Brayden Jacobson (4-for-5, 2 R, 2B, 3B, RBI) collected a four-hit game and fell a home run shy of the cycle while Sam Riola (2-for-5, R), Tyler Schiller (2-for-4, BB, 2B, 2 RBI) and Sawyer Smith (2-for-5, R, RBI) each added two-hit days.
St. Cloud State opened the scoring in the first on a two-run double off the bat of Schiller before UMD responded with a two spot of their own in the second. Jacobson doubled home Parker Savard in the third to make it 3-2, then the Bulldogs plated one each in the third, fourth and fifth to build a two run lead of their own.
A two-out error on a Riola grounder in the sixth plated Jacobson to cut the SCSU deficit to one. One batter later, Kevin Butler (1-for-3, RBI) ripped a game-tying single through the right side to knot things at five all. The Huskies handed the ball to Ethan Lanthier to carry them through the next 3.0 innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out six.
UMD walked off the Huskies in the ninth, snapping their seven-game winning streak.
Game Two: St. Cloud State 14, Minnesota Duluth 9
Sam Riola (2-for-5, 2 R, 3B, HR, 3 RBI) blasted his 35th career home run – tying the program's record – and earned the win on the mound with 4.0 innings of work as the Huskies took game two 14-9 to set up a rubber game on Sunday. Ethan Navratil (2-for-4, R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI) homered and drove in four while John Nett (3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, 3 RBI) supplied a three-hit game alongside two-knock afternoons from Ben Clapp (2-for-4, 2 R, 2B) and Garrett Bevacqua (2-for-2, 2 R).
After Minnesota Duluth struck with a run in the first inning, a two-run bomb off the bat of Navratil sparked a four-run second to give the Huskies a 4-1 lead. Tyler Schiller (1-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI) plated Clapp in the third, pushing the advantage to four runs, then UMD responded with one of their own in the home half.
Nett doubled in a pair an inning later, then Riola launched his career record-tying 35th home run out to left field to make it 9-2. Riola now shares the program's career mark with legendary third baseman Zak "Squatch" Hoffman with at least eight games left in the 2023 season.
UMD plated two runs in the fourth and added four more in the fifth to cut the SCSU lead to a lone run. The Huskies responded again in the next half, posting a five-run frame courtesy of a Riola RBI triple, a Schiller RBI double and a two-run ground rule double off the bat of Navratil.
Up Next
The series finale is set for Sunday, April 30 at Wade Stadium with a noon CT first pitch.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Baseball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Game One: Minnesota Duluth 7, St. Cloud State 6 (Final/9)
John Nett's (3-for-5, R) second-inning single – his second knock of a three-hit day – welcomed the junior to the program's illustrious 200 Hit Club as he and four other Huskies recorded multi-hit games in a heartbreaking 7-6 extra-innings loss to open the series. Brayden Jacobson (4-for-5, 2 R, 2B, 3B, RBI) collected a four-hit game and fell a home run shy of the cycle while Sam Riola (2-for-5, R), Tyler Schiller (2-for-4, BB, 2B, 2 RBI) and Sawyer Smith (2-for-5, R, RBI) each added two-hit days.
St. Cloud State opened the scoring in the first on a two-run double off the bat of Schiller before UMD responded with a two spot of their own in the second. Jacobson doubled home Parker Savard in the third to make it 3-2, then the Bulldogs plated one each in the third, fourth and fifth to build a two run lead of their own.
A two-out error on a Riola grounder in the sixth plated Jacobson to cut the SCSU deficit to one. One batter later, Kevin Butler (1-for-3, RBI) ripped a game-tying single through the right side to knot things at five all. The Huskies handed the ball to Ethan Lanthier to carry them through the next 3.0 innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out six.
UMD walked off the Huskies in the ninth, snapping their seven-game winning streak.
Game Two: St. Cloud State 14, Minnesota Duluth 9
Sam Riola (2-for-5, 2 R, 3B, HR, 3 RBI) blasted his 35th career home run – tying the program's record – and earned the win on the mound with 4.0 innings of work as the Huskies took game two 14-9 to set up a rubber game on Sunday. Ethan Navratil (2-for-4, R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI) homered and drove in four while John Nett (3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, 3 RBI) supplied a three-hit game alongside two-knock afternoons from Ben Clapp (2-for-4, 2 R, 2B) and Garrett Bevacqua (2-for-2, 2 R).
After Minnesota Duluth struck with a run in the first inning, a two-run bomb off the bat of Navratil sparked a four-run second to give the Huskies a 4-1 lead. Tyler Schiller (1-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI) plated Clapp in the third, pushing the advantage to four runs, then UMD responded with one of their own in the home half.
Nett doubled in a pair an inning later, then Riola launched his career record-tying 35th home run out to left field to make it 9-2. Riola now shares the program's career mark with legendary third baseman Zak "Squatch" Hoffman with at least eight games left in the 2023 season.
UMD plated two runs in the fourth and added four more in the fifth to cut the SCSU lead to a lone run. The Huskies responded again in the next half, posting a five-run frame courtesy of a Riola RBI triple, a Schiller RBI double and a two-run ground rule double off the bat of Navratil.
Up Next
The series finale is set for Sunday, April 30 at Wade Stadium with a noon CT first pitch.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Baseball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Nygard, Connor (1-1)
L: Riola, Sam (2-3)
Batting:
2B: Schiller, Tyler 1 ; Jacobson, Brayden 1
3B: Jacobson, Brayden 1
RBI: Butler, Kevin 1 ; Schiller, Tyler 2 ; Jacobson, Brayden 1 ; Smith, Sawyer 1
SH: Dehne, Noah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Nett, John 1 ; Riola, Sam 1 ; Savard, Parker 1 ; Jacobson, Brayden 2 ; Smith, Sawyer 1
CS: Nett, John 1
PO: Nett, John 1
Batting:
2B: Rosenberg, Nathan 1
HR: Tanner, Sam 1 ; Gabbard, Michael 1
RBI: Mann, Tosten 1 ; Tanner, Sam 2 ; Gabbard, Michael 2 ; Rosenberg, Nathan 2
SH: Mann, Tosten 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Puder, Jack 1 ; Gordon, Austin 1 ; Mann, Tosten 1 ; Tanner, Sam 2 ; Wattermann, Alex 1 ; Gabbard, Michael 1
SB: Pokornowski, Tim 1
HBP: Pokornowski, Tim 1 ; Hanson, Thomas 1
Game Leaders
AB
5
R
2
H
4
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
CI/OF
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IF/OF
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RHP
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IF
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IF
/ BaseballOF
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IF/RHP
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