St. John's lost to Coe College of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 4-2 on Wednesday in its first baseball game in the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional in La Crosse, Wis.
Gabe McDonald's RBI single — which extended his hitting streak to a school record 27 games — gave the Johnnies a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Their second run came home in the fifth on a wild pitch.
The Kohawks (32-12) scored two runs in the second and two more in the fourth on a pair of bases-loaded walks.
The Johnnies (26-15) will play Wis.-Whitewater, the defending national champion, at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in an elimination game.
No. 3-ranked Wis.-Whitewater (33-10) lost its opener 15-7 to Ripon (Wis.) College. The Warhawks had an eight-game postseason winning streak.
• Saint John's senior catcher/pitcher Kurt Jantscher was named the MIAC's Most Valuable Player, and conference champion Bethel swept the other three awards. Royals' starter Joe Zorn was named the Pitcher of the Year, Esteban Velasco the Rookie of the Year and Brian Raabe the Coach of the Year.
