DULUTH, Minn. – In his final start of the season, University of Mary pitcher Jake Johnson dominated Northern Sun champion University of Minnesota Duluth. The sophomore right hander racked up a career-high 13 strikeouts in a 5-3 Marauders win over the 16^th ranked Bulldogs in the last game of the regular season.
 
The Bulldogs, the NSIC's top seed in the league tournament, won the first two games of the day, 11-7 to complete a suspended game from Friday and 8-3 in the first scheduled contest of the day.
 
 In a year that opened with a combined no-hitter in his first start, Johnson's strikeout total set a new mark for the Marauders NCAA era (post 2007) and fell one short of the school record 14 by Mike Gustavsson in 1999. The Cambridge, Minn., native also established a new NCAA era second mark for strikeouts with 64.
 
The Marauders started fast in the season finale. Tom Imholte dropped a bunt down the first base line for a single, advanced to second on an infield hit by Andrew Beyer and went to third on a double play grounder. Brad Meyer's two-out single to center scored the U-Mary catcher and ensured the Marauders didn't waste the scoring opportunity.
 
Taking advantage of multiple Bulldogs misplays in the third, the Marauders struck for three unearned runs and increased their lead to 4-0. Beyer, who walked to lead off the inning and moved to third on a pair of UMD errors, scored on a Meyer single. After a misplay in right field on a Connor Doll batted ball allowed Jason Shaul to score, a Nick McCann squeeze bunt scored Meyer with the final run of the inning.
 
As Johnson kept the Bulldogs at bay, posting at least two strikeouts in each of the first three innings and the side in the fourth, the Marauders kept up the pressure offensively behind a pair of freshman.
 
After Doll walked with one out, right fielder Chris Scott doubled to center for U-Mary's fifth run of the game.
 
Living on the edge all night as the Bulldogs left the bases loaded twice against Johnson and two on in another inning, UMD broke through in the seventh and final inning. After a leadoff single and a double produced the Bulldogs first run, Johnson stuck out Alex Wojciehowski – the nation's home run leader – and induced a pop up for the second out. A double and single followed to score two more runs but Johnson closed out the win with his 13^th strikeout of the night.
 
In the complete game win, Johnson allowed ten hits, three walks and three earned runs in seven innings. He evened his record at 3-3.
 
Meyer finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run scored. Beyer was 2-for-3 and scored once. Daulton Sauce went 2-for-3.
 
Brett Milazzo had three hits to lead UMD and Kyle Comer and Jimmy Heck added two each.
 
In a game started at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and suspended by darkness after six innings, the Bulldogs outlasted the Marauders 11-7.
 
U-Mary jumped out to a 3-0 lead on RBIs from Shaul, Meyer and Feuerbach, but the advantage was short-lived. A pair of two-run home runs in the bottom of the first pushed UMD ahead 4-3. A Heck grand slam and a solo shot – both with two outs – grew the Bulldogs lead to 9-3.
 
Fighting to stay in the game, Shaul doubled home two runs in the fourth. Later in the same inning Feuerbach was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for the third run, cutting the deficit to 9-6. Another UMD solo home run in the fifth game the Bulldogs a 10-6 advantage before the game was suspended after six innings
 
Freshman Charles Bielejeski kept the Bulldogs under wraps for the final three innings. He allowed one run on three hits and a walk.
 
Shaul went 2-for-4 in the game, driving home three runs and scoring twice. Feuerbach knocked in three runs on one hit. Meyer had two hits, scored once and drove in a run.
 
UMD finished with five home runs. Spencer Diedrich had three hits for the Bulldogs, scoring twice and knocking in a run. Three other UMD players also had two hits.
 
In the middle game of the day, UMD scored three times in the first inning and once in the second. U-Mary scored its first run in the fourth when Lane Huck walked with the bases full, forcing home Seth Meide.
 
Responding immediately, the Bulldogs plated four runs, all with two outs. After a two-out double and a two-run home run by Grant Farley, two U-Mary errors led to two more UMD runs and an 8-1 lead for the home team.
 
Will Pettener closed out the scoring with his third home run of the season, a two-run opposite field shot to left in the seventh inning to score Imholte.
 
Alec DeMaria tossed two shutout innings for the Marauders, striking out two and giving up just one hit.
 
Kevin Stocke pitched six innings for UMD to earn the win, allowing a single unearned run and three hits. He struck out seven.
 
The Marauders finish the season 9-41 overall and 7-28 in conference play. The Bulldogs are 36-12 and 29-7.
 
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