The Carleton baseball team swept a Sunday afternoon doubleheader against Minnesota-Morris in Minnetonka, prevailing 5-1 and 7-1 in what is believed to be the earliest outdoor NCAA varsity baseball games played in Minnesota.
Sunday's games eclipsed the previous record for Minnesota's earliest outdoor NCAA game. Last year, Bethel played Northwestern (St. Paul) and St. Cloud State played Dordt College of Iowa on Feb. 27.
The Knights (2-0) and Cougars (0-2) originally were scheduled to play Thursday at U.S. Bank Stadium, but scheduling issues forced the teams to adjust in mid-January, and the squads shifted the games to April 23.
However, with repeated above-average temperatures melting the snow earlier than usual, Carleton coach Aaron Rushing and Morris coach Grant Harding decided to use the turf surface at Veterans Field in Minnetonka.
