MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. --- Crown College Baseball traveled to the Twin Cities on Saturday to face the North Central Rams in their conference regular-season finale. These two wins extend the Storm's UMAC record to 11-5, breaking the institutional record for most conference wins in a season two years ago and clinching their second consecutive playoff appearance.
From the first pitch, it was all Storm. With the game scoreless, Junior Kyle Schroedle stepped up to the plate and launched his 16th home run of the season, breaking a national three-way tie for home runs on the year. Led by the national home run leader, the Storm poured runs on throughout the rest of the game with seven extra-base hits, highlighted by a pair of home runs in the sixth inning, one by senior Bailey Sarto and the other coming from Sophomore Tristan Shoemaker.
While Kyle provided the offense for Crown, his brother, senior Nicholas Schroedle, provided the pitching. He went six innings, striking out eight and allowing only two runs on four hits. In an impressive inning of relief, first-year Jacob Crowley came in for the final inning, recording strikeouts for each of the last three outs as the Strom took game one by a score of 15-2 in seven innings.
Game two featured a trio of first-years on the mound for the Storm. Getting the nod first was Caleb Keen, who went 1.2 innings, allowing three earned runs. Following him was Tyler VanCise, who struck out nine over 5.1 innings while allowing three earned runs as well. Finishing the game for the Storm was Kevin Golden, who allowed only one hit and no runs while striking out three over the last two innings.
Offensively for the Storm, first-year Mason Brock led the way for going 4-5 with a home run and three RBIs while being just a triple away from the cycle. Bailey Sarto also homered, making that home runs in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. Building off a three-hit game one, Tristan Shoemaker added two more hits in game two. Fittingly, game two ended as the first had begun, with the national home run leader extending his lead. In the eighth inning, Schroedle went deep yet again, boosting his total to 17 on the season and further distancing him from the field.
The Storm wrap up their regular season Tuesday with a matchup with the Carlton College Knights, preparing for the UMAC conference tournament beginning May 20. The Storm will be slotted as the No. 4 seed, facing UW-Superior in the 4/5 opening matchup at the University of Northwestern in Roseville.
