Green Knights Open Season With Split Against Allegheny

From Sports Information Director, March 15, 2009 | Baseball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

AUBURNDALE, Fla. - St. Norbert College opened its 2009 baseball season with a split with Allegheny (Pa.) College. The Green Knights dropped the opener 6-3 before rallying to take the nightcap 8-4.

St. Norbert erased a 4-1 deficit in game two with a five-run fifth inning. Jordan Powers opened the inning with a single, and Brett Birkholz followed with another base hit. Cory Fuller singled to drive in Powers. Tony Jandron was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out. Jared Yost then drove in Birkholz to make it 4-3, and Jordan Vater followed with a two-run single to give the Green Knights the lead. Yost then came in to score on a double play to finish a five-run inning on six hits.

The Green Knights tacked on two insurances runs in the bottom of the sixth when Jandron scored on the back end of a double steal and Yost tripled in Birkholz.

Yost finished 3-for-4 in the game with two RBIs and two runs scored. Birkholz had the other multi-hit game with a 2-for-3 showing for the Green Knights, who had 10 hits in the contest.

Justin Wotachek picked up the win, working all seven innings while allowing six hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

In the opener, Allegheny broke open a 3-2 game with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, with Andy Schleihauf's two-run home run the decisive blow.

St. Norbert scored in the second on a Kyle Johnsen single, a run in the fourth on a Ryan Gusick RBI single and another single run in the seventh on a Yost RBI hit. Yost and Cory Fuller were both 2-for-4 for the Green Knights.

Tony Jandron took the loss for St. Norbert, working six innings. He allowed eight hits with three walks and six strikeouts.