Box Score (Game 1)
Box Score (Game 2)
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Edgewood College baseball team got a pair of complete games victories from Matt Krueger and Scott Winters and swept Concordia College Moorhead in the Eagles' season opening doubleheader at the Metrodome. Edgewood College won the first game 5-4 and then claimed the second game 12-4 in the early hours of Sunday morning.
In the opener, Edgewood College (2-0) got on the board with two runs on no hits in the second inning. Ryan Walker walked, stole second and advanced to third on Concordia College error. Designated hitter Darren Besch then drove in Walker with a sacrifice fly to left field. After Mitch Mogensen and Scott Ortega walked the Cobbers could have gotten out of the inning, but shortstop Jack Krause couldn't handle a Jimy Landwehr ground ball and the Mogensen scored from second base.
The Eagles tacked on another run in the third inning when Walker's RBI groundout scored Tim Barry who had reached on a single. Walker also drove in Barry in the fifth inning with a single through the left side to give Edgewood College a 4-0 lead.
Krueger, a senior, held Concordia College Moorhead (2-2) scoreless through the first five innings, allowing just four hits and striking out five. The Cobbers finally got on the board in the sixth with a pair of unearned runs on a single by Adam Johnson to make the score 4-2.
In the top of the seventh, the Eagles tacked on what turned out to be an important insurance run. After Barry walked, catcher Andrew King laced a triple to the right center field gap, scoring Barry all the way from first. The run became crucial when the Cobbers mounted a two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh, scoring two runs to get within one at 5-4 and placing the tying run at second base. Fortunately for the Eagles, Krueger buckled down and fanned Tony Emmerich to end the game.
Barry ended the game 2-for-3 with three runs scored to lead the Eagles hitting attack. Krueger earned his first win since May 4, 2008 by striking out eight and walking just one batter. He gave up two earned runs on seven hits. It was Krueger's fifth complete game in eight career starts.
The second game, which started at 12:53 a.m. Sunday morning, began much like the first. Barry gave the Eagles the lead in the first with an RBI single that scored Walker, which was followed by a sacrifice fly from King that scored Erik Massey for a 2-0 Eagles lead. In the third inning Walker led off with a double and eventually scored on Landwehr's RBI single.
Eagles' starter Winters crusied through the first four innings giving up just two hits and striking out three, but ran into trouble in the fifth. The Cobbers' Alex Jungels homered to left field and Jake Krause tied the game at 3-3 with an RBI single.
It appeared this game would go down to the final out, until the Eagles exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Mogensen, Massey and Landwehr had RBI base hits, before Barry unloaded a home run into the left field Metrodome seats usually reserved for blasts by Justin Morneau. Barry's blast was the eighth of his career and moves him within four of Travis Krahn's career school record of 12. The rally continued with RBIs by Steve Binder and Treye Dennison before Mike Selvaggi scored on a Cobber error to end the scoring. Concordia College Moorhead tacked on one in the seventh for the final 12-4 margin.
Massey, Landwehr, Barry and Binder all had two hits apiece for the Eagles with Barry recording three RBIs. For the night Barry went 4-for-6 with a home run and four runs scored. Dennison and Landwehr each had a pair of runs batted in in the nightcap. Winters fired seven innings, giving up four runs while striking out four hitters for his second career complete game.
The Eagles and Cobbers will meet again for a late evening doubleheader at the Metrodome next Friday night. The following evening, Edgewood College will square off against UW-Oshkosh. Live stats for those games are available on EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.
