St. Norbert Dodges Raindrops to Drop Concordia

From Sports Information Director, April 24, 2008 | Baseball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

DE PERE - St. Norbert College ran its winning streak to eight games with a 7-5 win over Concordia University at Mel Nicks Field.

The win, the first game of a scheduled split doubleheader, improved St. Norbert to 17-6. The second game at Green Bay Southwest High School was rained out in the fourth inning due to persistent rain showers. St. Norbert led that game 4-3 in the middle of the fourth when the game was halted.

The Green Knights scratched out the win in the opener despite getting just six hits. St. Norbert did deliver in the clutch, getting a pair of big two-run, two-out hits in two different innings.

St. Norbert jumped ahead 3-0 after two innings. Ryan Gusick singled home Jared Yost for the game's first run. With two out and the bases loaded, Alex Byrne laced a single to centerfield to score Gusick and Bryan Stoppenbach.

Concordia (18-11) answered in the top of the third with four runs. Matt Schilter hit a two-run double and Andy Becker a two-run home run in the frame.

The Green Knights left the bases loaded in the bottom of the third and did not score, but then scored three times in the fifth. Again with the bases loaded and two out, Jordan Stauber singled to center to score Yost and Mike Wallerich for a 5-4 lead. Adam Frost singled home Stoppenbach for a 6-4 advantage.

Concordia scored once in the sixth on reliever Byrne, but coaxed a double play to get out of a two-runner jam. St. Norbert added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Yost singled home Tony Jandron.

The Falcons had two on and one out again in the seventh, but Byrne got Becker to ground into a double play to end the game.

Justin Wotachek worked the first five innings to move to 2-0 this season. Wotachek allowed five hits and walked two with one strikeout. Byrne picked up his first save of the season.

No one had a multiple-hit game for St. Norbert, but Yost, Jandron and Frost all extended their hitting streaks to 12 games. Stauber and Byrne have nine-game hitting streaks.