Jandron, Pitching Staff Piece Together Sweep at Lawrence

From Sports Information Director, April 30, 2009 | Baseball
by Dan Lukes, dan.lukes@snc.edu, (920) 403-4077

APPLETON - St. Norbert College posted another big doubleheader sweep in its quest for the Midwest Conference North Division championship with wins of 7-2 and 5-4 over Lawrence University at Don Hawkins Field.

The Green Knights, 10-4 in the MWC North and 19-11 overall, lead Beloit College and Ripon College by one game in the loss column with two games left to play. Should St. Norbert sweep Lawrence on Saturday at Mel Nicks Field, the Green Knights win the division and will host the conference tournament May 8-9. A split would result in either a two- or three-way playoff with Beloit and/or Ripon on Monday at Mel Nicks Field.

Tony Jandron's two-run home run in the eighth inning of the nightcap was the difference in a tight contest. Jared Yost doubled to lead off the inning and Jandron followed with a deep drive to center field. Lawrence centerfielder Wes Otte had the ball in his glove for a moment, but when he crashed into the fence the ball squirted out and over the fence for the dramatic home run.

St. Norbert, playing its sixth game in three days, used four pitchers in game two to get the win. Jeff Schneider and Matt Hannon both worked three innings apiece, allowing two runs each. Jordan Vater worked 2 1/3 innings to get the win, while Jandron got the last two outs for a save. Lawrence had runners on first and second in the bottom of the ninth but a 6-4-3 double play ended the game.

Yost and Jandron had RBI singles in the third inning, and Yost scored on a wild pitch in the fifth for St. Norbert's first three runs. Yost was 3-for-5 with three runs scored and Jandron was 3-for-5 with three runs batted in.

In the opener, Cody Woods pitched a complete game in his first collegiate start. Woods allowed five hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

St. Norbert took a 3-0 lead in the third after getting a run in the second on a Ryan Gusick sacrifice fly and two in the third on a two-run home run by Brett Birkholz. Lawrence got one each in the third and fourth to cut it to 3-2, but the Green Knights got two in the sixth. Gusick had a run-scoring single in the inning and Ryan Kehl had a run-scoring groundout. St. Norbert scored two runs in the ninth to salt the game away on a two-run home run by Garrick Fisher.

Fisher and Cory Fuller each were 2-for-4 with Fisher getting two runs batted in. Birkholz was 2-for-5 with two runs batted in.