NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College baseball team clawed its way back from early deficits in both games but could not get over the hump in 8-5 (eight innings) and 5-4 losses to Gustavus Adolphus College in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) doubleheader on Tuesday at Mark Almli Field.

In its home opener that was moved up 24 hours due to the forecast for the rest of the week, St. Olaf (5-15, 0-4 MIAC) came back from a 5-0 deficit to force extra innings in game one, but Brayden Kohls hit a three-run home run in the eighth to give Gustavus (10-8, 3-1 MIAC) the win. The Gusties got out to a 5-1 lead in the third inning of game two and held on despite the Oles closing the gap to one run in the fourth.

St. Olaf is scheduled to host Concordia-Moorhead in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 4. With the forecast for rain/snow and cold temperatures, any changes to the schedule will be posted at athletics.stolaf.edu.

Gustavus 8, St. Olaf 5 (8 inn.) | Box Score

St. Olaf battled back from an early 5-0 deficit and had a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh. After tying the game at 5-5, the Oles had the bases loaded and one out but could not push across the winning run, as the Gusties went on to claim the win on Kohls' home run in the eighth.

Senior Henry Black and junior Kanen Kreafle had a double and a home run apiece in the loss. Kreafle was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI, while Black was 2-for-5 with three RBI. Senior Jack Pettit and first year Lucas Pusterla added two hits apiece.

Junior Sam Hruska received a no-decision after allowing five runs (four earned) on 10 hits with one walk and three strikeouts over the first 5.0 innings. Sophomore Josiah Utsch kept the Oles in it before giving up Kohls' game-winning home run. Utsch struck out four and walked one while yielding three runs on two hits in 3.0 innings but took the loss.

Gustavus built a 5-0 lead in the middle of the fourth after scoring in three consecutive innings before St. Olaf generated a rally. Kreafle got the Oles on the board with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 5-1 game, but St. Olaf could not add any more runs after loading the baes with one out. Kreafle's home run was his team-leading third of the season.

With the Oles still down by four in the bottom of the sixth, Black lined a three-run home run over the fence in right with two outs to bring St. Olaf within a run on his second home run of the season.

In the seventh, Kreafle led off with a double and came around to score on a one-out single by Pusterla. Senior Christopher Woodside followed with a single to load the bases with one out, but a fielder's choice at the plate and a strikeout prevented the Oles from walking off with the win. With the wind blowing out to right, Kohls hit an opposite-field, three-run shot with one out in the eighth to break the tie for the Gusties.

Gustavus 5, St. Olaf 4 | Box Score

Like game one, Gustavus jumped out to an early lead in game two, as the Gusties opened up a 5-1 lead on a grand slam by Simon James in the third. The Oles cut their deficit to one in the fourth but were unable to complete the comeback in the late innings.

Kreafle reached base in three of his four trips to the plate, going 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, and two RBI. Black was 1-for-2 with a walk, a double, a run scored, and one RBI as well.

Fifth-year senior Ian Enyeart allowed one run through the first two innings before James' grand slam in the third. First year Tate Williams and senior Jack Pettit combined to throw 4.1 innings of four-hit, shutout relief to keep St. Olaf in it.

After Gustavus scratched across a run with out a hit in the top of the first, St. Olaf got the run back in the bottom of the first. Senior Mason Buck and Black got on base with one out on a single and a hit-by-pitch before a wild pitch moved them both into scoring position for Kreafle, who lined a single to right to score Buck. The Oles were held to one run in the inning after back-to-back strikeouts left runners at the corners.

The Gusties took advantage of three walks in the top of the third, as all three of the walks came in to score on James' grand slam to right. Back-to-back doubles by Black and Kreafle got St. Olaf one of the runs back in the bottom of the third, but the Oles left the bases loaded after two strikeouts ended the inning.

In the fourth, St. Olaf got within a run despite not tallying a hit in the inning. A hit batter, two walks, a wild pitch, and a passed back led to a two-run inning for the Oles, who stranded the go-ahead run at third on another strikeout. With his team still down by one, senior Calvin Keesler led off the bottom of the sixth with a double to the wall in the left-field corner but was left at third.

With the game still going past sunset, Pusterla drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the seventh, but Woodside flied out to the wall in straight-away center field for the final out.