Records Tumble as St. Norbert Sweeps Carroll

From Sports Information Director, April 6, 2013 | Baseball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

WAUKESHA - St. Norbert College opened the Midwest Conference season with a bang, shattering school records for runs in a game and in a doubleheader in a sweep of Carroll University at a blustery Frame Park. The Green Knights won the opener 26-12 and then held on to take the nightcap 18-15, ending a grueling twinbill that lasted nearly seven hours.

The Green Knights' 26 runs in the opener broke the previous mark of 22, set on April 18, 2004 and May 8, 1994, both against Carroll. The previous standard for runs in a doubleheader was 33, when St. Norbert swept Carroll 19-4 and 14-4 on April 15, 2007 at Mel Nicks Field in De Pere.

Troy Rottier led the first game off with a home run, the first of six in the contest for the Green Knights. Travis Mason had a two-run shot in the third, along with an RBI double by Alex Larsen and an RBI single by Carlos Rodriguez. Carroll scored twice in the bottom of the third, but the Green Knights scored five times in the fourth and five more times in the sixth for a 15-3 lead. Nick Pierre had a two-run double, and Rodriguez added an RBI double in the fourth. Mason and Pierre led off the sixth with solo home runs, and Rottier cranked a three-run shot later in the inning.

Carroll (8-8, 0-2) extended the game with six runs in the bottom of the seventh, and St. Norbert then scored 11 runs in the last two innings. Chad Ljunggren had a three-run double in the eighth, followed by a two-run home run by Jose Godinez. Ljunggren and Brandon Kozinski had two-run singled in the ninth to fuel a six-run uprising.

Kevin Nutley earned the win for St. Norbert, working the first six innings and allowed four hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Kozinski was 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs. Pierre was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBIs. Rottier was 3-for-6 with four runs scored and four RBIs. Mason was 2-for-6 with three runs scored and three RBIs. Godinez was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while Ljunggren was 2-for-7 with four runs scored and five RBIs. Rodriguez was also 2-for-6 with two RBIs and a run scored.

In the nightcap, St. Norbert trailed 3-1 going into the fifth inning. The Green Knights then scored eight times in the top of the fifth to take a 9-3 lead. Godinez hit a grand slam to make it 5-3, and Pierre followed with a two-run homer for a 7-3 lead.

The Green Knights led 10-8 going into the eighth inning, but St. Norbert scored seven times to pull away. Mason had a two-run double, Alex Larsen a long solo home run and Godinez a two-run single.

Carroll made it interesting with a seven-run inning in the bottom of the ninth, and had the tying run at the plate with two outs, but couldn't get the equalizer.

Mason got the win, allowing five runs in four innings, and was also 3-for-6 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Godinez was 3-for-5 with three runs scored and six RBIs. Larsen was 3-for-6 with three runs scored and one RBI, while Pierre was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Kozinski was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Nick Dagneau was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.