APPLETON, Wis. — It took more than 24 hours to complete, but the St. Norbert College baseball team swept a Midwest Conference doubleheader from Lawrence University on Monday at Whiting Field.
St. Norbert (18-7, 7-1 MWC) won the opener 11-0 and took the nightcap 6-2 in what were home games for the Green Knights. St. Norbert was forced to play the contests at Lawrence (7-15, 1-11) because of wet conditions at Mel Nicks Field.
The opening game of the doubleheader started at noon on Sunday, but it was suspended in the bottom of the sixth inning as snow fell and freezing temperatures plagued Whiting Field.
The teams resumed play Monday afternoon at 3 p.m. with temperatures more than 20 degrees warmer. The Green Knights closed out the first game in less than 10 minutes due to the 10-run rule.
Jose Godinez and Travis Mason both had two hits, scored two runs and drove in two runs for St. Norbert. Kyle Mahlik pitched six innings and allowed only one hit to pick up the win for St. Norbert. Kelton Jenkins lasted only two innings and took the loss for Lawrence.
In the second game, St. Norbert got another standout pitching performance, this time from Brett Nohr. He went the distance, allowed five hits and two runs, struck out three and didn’t walk a batter. Atley Gay went seven innings, allowed nine hits and six runs, struck out four and walked two for Lawrence.
The Green Knights got virtually all of their offense from center fielder Alex Larsen. He hit a three-run homer to give St. Norbert a 3-0 lead in the second. Larsen then added a solo shot in the fourth and finished with four runs batted in.
Lawrence cut the St. Norbert lead in half by scoring twice in the top of the eighth. After Joel Birch reached on a fielder’s choice, Gabe Henriques doubled. Gabe Warshaw followed with a two-run single to trim the lead to 4-2.
The Green Knights sealed the win by getting those two runs back in the bottom half of the inning.
Henriques paced the Lawrence offense by going 3-for-4, and Nick Pierre was 3-for-4 for St. Norbert.
Lawrence returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts Northland College in a nonconference doubleheader.