SAINT PETER, Minn. – The University of Wisconsin-Stout baseball team used a five-run fourth inning and four home runs to power past St. Scholastica14-4 in eight innings Monday afternoon.
Stout (5-4) scored in six different innings and racked up 13 hits while taking advantage of three Saints errors to control the game from start to finish.
The Blue Devils wasted little time getting on the board, plating a run in the first inning on and
AJ Kargel RBI single before adding two more in the third to take an early 3-0 lead.
The game turned decisively in the fourth. After loading the bases with no outs,
Cage Kavanagh drove in a run with a groundout before Stout capitalized on defensive miscues.
Kevin Zanin reached on an error that brought in three runs, and
Austin Miller followed by reaching on another error to drive in a run and extend the lead to 8-0.
Stout continued to tack on runs throughout the middle innings. In the sixth, Zanin reached on an error, advanced to third, and scored on an RBI single from
Ryan Kelly to make it 9-0.
Mike Pustelnik homered in the seventh to give Stout a 10-0 lead. The Saints answered with four runs in the bottom of the seventh to force the eighth inning. Kelly led off the inning with a solo home run before
Connor Marino launched a two-run shot to left.
Mike Pustelnik followed with a home run of his own, part of a four-run frame that pushed the lead to 14-4.
On the mound,
Luke Carrier got the start and struck out six over three scoreless innings,
Nick Van Beek pitched three scoreless innings allowing just one hit to earn the win.
The Blue Devils will open WIAC play this weekend when they travel to Platteville, Wis. for a four game series with the Pioneers.
