Carson Jones watches his single go up the middle in the Oles' 5-0 loss to St. Thomas on Saturday. Later in the game Jones recorded his 70th hit of the season, which set a school record.

St. Thomas 11, St. Olaf 2 (Box) | St. Thomas 5, St. Olaf 0 (Box)

Tommies sweep Oles to advance

Mike Ludwig
May 16, 2009

OSHKOSH, Wis. - The University of St. Thomas swept St. Olaf 11-2 and 5-0 to advance to the NCAA Division III Baseball World Series.

St. Thomas scored nine times in the sixth inning, including five with two outs, to defeat St. Olaf 11-2 in the first game of the championship series.

The losses ended the Oles' season, the second-best in school history in terms of total wins (32-14).

Full Recap - Courtesy Kennan Timm, UW-Oshkosh Sports Information Director
Dan Leslie tossed a complete-game shutout in his first pitching appearance of the season to lead the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) past St. Olaf, 5-0, in the championship contest of the NCAA Division III Oshkosh Regional Baseball Tournament on Saturday (May 16) at E.J. Schneider Field in Oshkosh, Wis.

The University of St. Thomas advances to its fourth NCAA Division III World Series, which begins Friday (May 22) in Appleton, Wis. The Tommies (36-12) defeated the Oles (32-14) twice on Saturday, including an 11-2 triumph in the first game of the day. It was the seventh and eighth meetings between the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rivals this season.

Leslie (1-0) did not walk a batter and struck out four while firing all nine innings in the final.

A five-run second frame contained all of the scoring in the title game. The Tommies got a Roy Larson single and a Ben Wartman double to begin the inning. They then took control with a run-scoring single from Tim Kahle and a three-run homer by Matt Olson.

St. Olaf College registered two hits during the third inning but was unable to score. The Oles also tallied a single hit in each of the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

The Tommies mashed out 14 base hits, including two each from Olson, Wartman, Matt McQuillan, Taylor Rahm and Brian Schmitz. Olson has now reached base in 35 consecutive games.

Carson Jones and Nick Fuerst each recorded two of the Olesı seven hits.

Todd Mathison (6-5) pitched all nine innings for St. Olaf. He took the loss after surrendering two earned runs and striking out eight batters.

In the first game of the day, the University of St. Thomas took a 1-0 lead in the opening frame on an error. St. Olaf College then tied the contest in the second inning on Mathison's double.

The Tommies used a pair of walks to go back in front during the fifth inning. Schmitz roped a two-out double to make it a 2-1 score.

In the sixth inning, the University of St. Thomas rapped out seven hits on its way to nine runs. Rahm, who opened the frame with a single, launched a three-run homer eight batters later. The outburst also included a two-run single from Brady Field and a solo home run by Larson.

St. Olaf College scored its last run on a double play in the seventh inning. The Oles finished with nine hits, including two by both Mathison and Pat Wadzinski.

Brandon Agneberg (7-4) took the pitching loss for the Oles, who left 12 runners on base in the game. Agneberg allowed four runs (two earned) in five innings.

The win belonged to Matt Schuld (10-1), who surrendered two runs while striking out five in seven innings. Blake Searles tossed two scoreless innings to finish the game.

Named to the 11-player all-tournament team were Rick Krajewski of Beloit College, Brandon Agneberg, Carson Jones and Todd Mathison of St. Olaf College, Dan Leslie, John Licht, Matt Olson, Taylor Rahm, Brian Schmitz and Matt Schuld of the University of St. Thomas and Scott Williams of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Rahm was named the tournament's most outstanding player.

Contact media relations specialist Mike Ludwig at (507) 786-3834 or ludwigm@stolaf.edu.