MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The St. Olaf College baseball team dropped both games of a late-night, season-opening doubleheader against Luther College, falling by scores of 6-3 and 5-4 on Friday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Luther (2-0) broke a 3-3 tie in the opener with a three-run top of the fifth and pushed across four runs in the bottom of the sixth in the nightcap to rally from a 4-1 deficit to complete the sweep. Senior Dylan Blake was 5-for-8 at the plate for St. Olaf (0-2) over the two games, while sophomore Andrew Nomoto hit his second-career home run in game two.

Luther 6, St. Olaf 3 | Box Score

Owen Vander Linden and Kyle Schnobrich delivered two-out, run-scoring hits in the decisive top of the fifth in game one for Luther, as the Norse scored three in the fourth and three more in the fifth to take the opener. The duo each drove in three runs for Luther in the win.

With runners on first and third and two outs in a 3-3 game, Vander Linden doubled in two runs to put Luther on top, 5-3, before Schnobrich singled in Vander Linden to cap the three-run inning.

St. Olaf got on the board first in the bottom of the second, as senior Sam Pressman singled in senior Ryan Torbenson and junior Matthew Muller to give the Oles a 2-0 lead. Muller and Torbenson started the inning with consecutive singles before moving up on a bunt by junior Eli Tan.

Luther went ahead for the first time in the game in the top of the fourth, starting the inning with four-straight hits to score three runs and take a 3-2 lead. After back-to-back singles to start the inning, Vander Linden doubled in a run and Schnobrich followed with a two-run single.

The lead did not last long, however, as the Oles tied it up in the next half inning. Tan singled to start the frame, moved to second on a groundout by Pressman and scored on a single by junior Bobby Isbell to tie the game at 3-3 before the three-run fifth by the Norse.

Sophomore Sam Westermeyer got the start for St. Olaf and struck out four in four innings of three-run ball. Junior Hunter Barber took the loss after yielding three runs in three innings of relief.

Luther 5, St. Olaf 4 | Box Score

St. Olaf scored one in the third, one in the fourth and two in the fifth to build a 4-1 lead in game two but Luther rallied with four in the bottom of the sixth to come away with the sweep despite being out-hit by a 12-7 margin.

A two-out RBI single by Nomoto started the scoring in the top of the third for the Oles, as he plated senior Tommy McDonald who doubled with one away earlier in the frame. Isbell delivered a two-out RBI single in the next inning to score Torbenson and double St. Olaf's lead to 2-0.

After Luther got a run back in the bottom of the fourth, Nomoto blasted a two-run home run after Blake singled to start the top of the fifth to push the St. Olaf lead to 4-1.

The Oles continued to hold the three-run lead until the Norse scored four runs on four hits in the bottom of the sixth. Luther started the inning with three-straight hits to make it a one-run game and added two unearned runs later in the inning to take the lead.

St. Olaf got the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh before Ryan Manternach shut the door for the save.

Senior Jesse Retzlaff threw four innings of one-run ball for the Oles before the Norse got to the St. Olaf bullpen in the late innings.

The Oles return to U.S. Bank Stadium to face the University of Northwestern (Minn.) on Tuesday, Mar. 3. First pitch in game one is slated for 10 p.m.