Luther Continues to Swing Hot Bats - Splits with Gustavus adolphus
March 22, 2009
Luther continued to swing hot bats pounding out 34 hits this afternoon, but had to settle for a split with Gustavus Adolphus in Phoenix, Arizona at the Russ Matt Invitational.
In game one of this non-conference twin bill, the Norse scored 11 runs on 16 hits and defeated the Gusties 11-5. Falling behind 3-0 after two full innings, the Norse scored two runs in the third, three in the fifth, five in the sixth and one in the seventh, before the Gusties tallied two runs in the bottom of the final frame.
Zach Topping and Joe Thompson drove in three runs each. Topping was 2-for-4 and scored three times, while Thompson was 3-for-4. Mark Webber, Nate Neis and Steve Beckman also produced multiple hits.
Max Flaig went the distance on the mound. Flaig faced 33 batters, allowed two earned runs on seven hits and struck out two.
Luther dug itself a hole early in game two, committing five of its six errors in the Gusties nine-run second inning. Trailing 13-0 entering its bottom half of the third, the Norse just about pulled off perhaps the greatest come back victory in school history, but fell one run shy as the Gusties posted a 16-15 win. The Norse tallied 18 hits and scored six runs in the third, two in both the fourth, sixth and seventh innings and three in the fifth.
Webber, who was 2-for5, drove in a team high four rbi. Thompson drove in three runs, while Jake Waddle, Ben Schott, and Beckman all drove in two.
The split gives the Norse and overall record of 5-3. Luther will be off tomorrow and will return to action on Tuesday when they will face Oberlin College (OH) in a double header that will begin at 1:00 p.m.
