Bad Credit

Baseball back on track

Date 4/21/2005 12:00 AM | Topic: Sports

The rollercoaster ride of the past two weeks for the Luther baseball team may have been bumped back on track with a little help from a non-conference opponent on Monday.

After a two-week span that saw the Norse, after starting the season 12-3, go 6-4, one had to wonder if the wheels were starting to spin after their best start in 34 years.

Luther won both games in a doubleheader with Carleton (Minn.), winning the first 10-0 and the second 11-2.

In the first, the Norse were propelled by 13 hits, one of which was John Jaeger's ('05) first inning two-run home run, his fifth of the year. That ties Jaeger for the team lead with Brad Paulsrud ('05).

Paulsrud pitched six strong innings for the Norse in the first, and helped his cause at the plate by going 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles and three RBI. Bill Planton ('05) came on in the seventh to seal the shutout bid.

In the second game, Luther left hander Jon Fry ('05) hurled six strong innings, not giving up a run until the sixth when he allowed two to cross the plate.

Brandt Rost ('07) led the offensive charge with three hits and Jaeger added another pair of RBI.

The win increased Luther's record to 18-7 overall, but they remain at 4-4 in the conference after splitting a pair of double dips to Cornell and Buena Vista. Between the splits, the Norse were swept by the upstart Dubuque Spartans 10-5 and 8-1 on the Norse's home turf.

A major bright spot for the Norse came when they hosted the Central Dutch in their first IIAC action of the season. Luther swept the Dutch by scores of 14-3 and 16-6, while batting nearly .500 as a team on the day. The offensive flurry included seven doubles, two triples and three home runs.

The first game against Central also marked Head Coach Brian Gillogly's 400th career win in the college ranks. Gillogly spent his first 12 seasons at Marion College (Wis.) before spending two seasons as a hitting coach for perennial Division Three powerhouse Ripon College (Wis.)

Since arriving at his alma mater in 2001, Gillogly has steadily built the program and led the Norse to its first winning season since 1991 last year, when the Norse went 26-13 and ended second in conference with a tab of 12-4.

The Norse traveled to Dubuque to face Loras on Wednesday, and will play host this weekend as Simpson rolls into Decorah on Saturday, followed by the Oles of St. Olaf on Sunday.

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Andy Haugen

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