The Carleton College baseball team registered a pair of comeback wins to earn a doubleheader sweep against Hamline University at CHS Field. AJ Staff (Sr./Bainbridge Island, Wash./Bainbridge) went the distance for the 3-2 win in game one, and Ryan Chang (Fy./Alameda, Calif./The College Preparatory School) collected five hits during the day, including three in the Knights’ 12-5 victory in game two.

Game 1 Recap
Carleton 3, Hamline 2
Staff (2-4) turned in arguably his best performance of the season, limiting the Pipers (10-24, 6-10 MIAC) to two runs — only one earned — over 7.0 innings to get the victory. This was his second complete-game effort of the campaign.

Carleton (7-20, 3-13 MIAC) first got on the scoreboard when Chang tripled to start the second inning and waltzed home thanks to Jack Hommeyer’s (So./Bronxville, N.Y./Suffield Academy) single to right field.

The only times Hamline got a baserunner past second base came during the fourth inning, when the hosts scored both of their runs without getting the ball out of the infield thanks to three infield singles, a walk and an error.

The score remained 2-1 in favor of Hamline until the top of the sixth. Chang singled and came home on Will Schnepf’s (Fy./Dallas, Texas/Parish Episcopal) double off the right-centerfield wall.

The Knights took advantage of two Piper miscues to plate the go-ahead run in the seventh. Sam Chutkow (Fy./Needham, Mass./Needham) reached on a single, and Steve Antrim (Jr./Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest) followed with a bunt single to put runners on the corners. Ananth Iyer (So./Redmond, Wash./Overlake) hit a drive into the right-center gap that was dropped for an error, and Chutkow scored easily to put Carleton in front, 3-2.

Staff surrendered a leadoff wind-blown double in the bottom of the seventh, but he got the next two batters to flyout before finishing the game with a strikeout.

Chang and Schnepf had two hits apiece to pace the Knights.

Game 2 Recap
Carleton 12, Hamline 5
The Knights trailed 3-0 and 5-4 but plated the last eight runs of the contest to complete the sweep.

The Pipers jumped on Carleton starter Matthew Karbowski (Fy./Gilberts, Ill./Hampshire) for three runs in the bottom of the first, but his teammates immediately responded with three runs in the top of the second inning. Aaron Rice (So./Evergreen, Colo./Colorado Academy) and Schnepf had RBI groundouts, and Nathan Barnhart (Fy./Gig Harbor, Wash./Bellarmine Prep) followed with a RBI single to right field.

Karbowski settled in and held Hamline scoreless the next three innings.

Carleton moved in front 4-3 in the top of the fifth inning as Chutkow walked, John Hurtubise (Fy./Marysville, Mich./Marysville) singled and Chang added an RBI grounder. The lead was short-lived, as Finn Melchior smacked a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame to give the Pipers back the lead.

The momentum went right back to the Knights when Rice doubled to lead off the top of the sixth inning and raced home on Schnepf’s single to right field. Chutkow later added an RBI single of his own to give the Knights a 6-5 lead.

Carleton batted around during a three-run top of the seventh. Rice had a key two-run single, and Sam Zacks (So./Glencoe, Ill./New Trier) drew a bases-loaded walk to force home the other run.

The Knights were not done with the bats, scoring three more times in the eighth. Jordan Appelbaum (So./Calabasas, Calif./Chaminade College Prep) had a two-out, pinch-hit double and later raced home on Schnept’s ground ball.

Karbowski tossed a career-high 6.0 innings while registering his first career victory. Iyer worked 3.0 scoreless frames of relief for his second save.

Chang and Hurtubise had three hits each to lead Carleton, with Chutkow and Rice also contributing multi-hit efforts. The bottom third of the Knights’ order went a combined 4-for-11 with four walks and seven RBI.

Then, playing its second doubleheader in as many days, the Carleton College baseball team dropped both contests to cross-town rival St. Olaf, falling 6-0 and 12-5.

Game 1 Recap
St. Olaf 6, Carleton 0
The Knights (7-22, 3-15 MIAC) were limited to two hits by St. Olaf (13-14, 8-5 MIAC) ace Sam Lavin, who went the distance with no walks and six strikeouts.

Ananth Iyer (So./Redmond, Wash./Overlake) doubled in the second inning for Carleton’s first hit. After Aaron Rice (So./Evergreen, Colo./Colorado Academy) singled to start the third inning, Lavin retired the final 15 batters he faced.

Will Schnepf (Fy./Dallas, Texas/Parish Episcopal) worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning, but was not as fortunate in the third as the Oles scored two of their three runs in the frame with two out. The hosts pushed across three more runs in the fourth against the Carleton bullpen. Ryan Antrim (Jr./Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest) took over and tossed 2.0 scoreless frames of relief for the Knights.

Game 2 Recap
St. Olaf 15, Carleton 8
Sam Chutkow (Fy./Needham, Mass./Needham) went 4-for-5 with a home run and four RBI in addition to pitching a hitless inning of relief, but the Knights watched their rivals rally to complete the doubleheader sweep.

Carleton scored twice in the top of the first inning as Chutkow had an RBI single, and Jack Hommeyer (So./Bronxville, N.Y./Suffield Academy) added a sacrifice fly. The Knights were unable to make that early lead stand up, however, as the Oles pushed across four two-out runs during the third inning. The hosts tacked on single tallies in the fourth and fifth frames.

The Knights scratched out a trio of two-out runs in the sixth, thanks to a Chutkow RBI single and a two-run double off the bat of Steve Antrim (Jr./Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest).

Frank Lavin hit a grand slam during a five-run sixth inning for St. Olaf, allowing the hosts to open up a six-run lead.

Chutkow retired Frank Lavin with the bases loaded to end the seventh inning, then belted his first career home run — this one a two-run shot to right field — to bring the Knights within 11-7 in the top of the eighth. St. Olaf put the game out of reach with four more two-out tallies in the bottom of the frame.

Ryan Chang (Fy./Alameda, Calif./The College Preparatory School) and Asher Stolberg (So./Sherman Oaks, Calif./Campbell Hall) joined Chutkow in posting multi-hit games.

Up Next for the Knights
Carleton’s road trip continues on Saturday, May 6, with a doubleheader at Saint Mary’s University. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.