PELLA, Iowa – Wartburg baseball closed out the sweep over Central on Saturday, Apr. 2 with two eight inning wins over the Dutch. The Orange & Black had a 10+ run inning in both games to help secure the wins.
Game 1: Wartburg 17, Central 2 (8 Innings)
In the top of the first inning, the Knights jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after
Max Goodhue reached on an error and then was batted in by
Zach Wesolowski who hit an RBI triple. After a first inning walk, Wartburg's defense turned a double play to close the inning.
Both teams stranded runners in the second to keep the score 1-0 heading to the third inning. After a walk loaded the bases for the Orange & Black,
Ben DeKruyf hit into a fielder's choice that scored one run. In the fourth inning neither brought any runs across and the score remained 2-0 after four innings.
Elitot Jurgensen led off the fifth inning with a walk and then Goodhue doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs.
Zach Walton hit an RBI single to bring in one run and then
Cael Boehmer doubled to left field to bring in two more runs. The Dutch responded in the bottom of the fifth with a leadoff double that led to two runs and the score was now 5-2 Wartburg.
Neither team could get a hit in the sixth, but Boehmer put the Knights up two more runs after a two-run homer in the top of the seventh.
Aaron Eybers replaced
Darren Kilpatrick on the mound to start the bottom of the seventh and allowed just one hit in the inning.
The Orange & Black exploded for 10 runs off six hits in the top of the eighth to take a 17-2 lead. The runs started with a two RBI Double for DeKruyf that left two runners in scoring position.
Carter Stubitz delivered another double to bring in two more runs for the Knights.
Caleb Andrews hit a single to bring in another run and move the score to 12-2.
Keaton Gray singled to score Andrews and then the bases were walked loaded for Goodhue, who cleared them with a three-RBI triple. Goodhue scored the last run to close the 10-run inning.
Max Hansen came in for Eybers to pitch the eighth inning and closed out the Dutch in three batters to end the game after eight innings.
Kilpatrick earned his second win of the season and is now 2-3 as a starter this season. The senior allowed just one earned run in six innings pitched and recorded three strikeouts.
The Orange & Black had seven extra-base hits and three players with three or more RBI today. Wartburg's 17 runs scored today is a season high. Boehmer led all Knights in RBI with four and hit his first career homerun today for the Knights. Both Goodhue and Wesolowski hit triples, while four Knights hit doubles.
Game 2: Wartburg 18, Central 9 (8 Innings)
Both teams started game two with a scoreless first inning. Walton doubled to lead off the second and then was hit in by Boehmer to make the score 1-0. The Knights closed the second inning by stranding three and then the Dutch stranded two with no runs scored.
The Knights had a big third inning that started with a one out double from Wesolowski that led to the bases being loaded. Andrews hit a single to score one and move the runners and then with two outs Stubitz hit a grand slam to make the score 6-0. Central got two runs back in the bottom of the third after an error and a sacrifice fly.
Wartburg was held hitless in the fourth inning and in the bottom of the inning Eybers replaced starter
Joey Ciero on the mound to get the last two outs of the inning. After going three up an three down on offense, the Knights allowed three runs in the bottom of the fifth to bring the score to 6-5. The runs came from a homerun and a fielder's choice RBI.
The Knights and Dutch both got one hit and stranded a runner in the sixth inning. The Knights had the same result on offense the next inning and
Dreyton LaVeine came in to start the sixth inning on the mound. After back-to-back singles from the Dutch, a double scored two runs and gave Central its first lead of the game. The very next batter homered to make the score 9-6 Central and then
Max Hansen was subbed in to finish the inning on the mound.
In the top of the seventh the Orange & Black got three walks and a single to get one run back and reload the bases. Gray hit into a fielding error and two runs came across for the Knights to tie the game at nine. The bases were loaded again for Wartburg with no outs and DeKruyf homered for the team's second grand slam of the game and the score moved to 13-9. With runners on the corners, Wesolowski hit a sacrifice fly to add another run. Walton doubled to bring in a run and then Andrews hit a two-run shot to make the score 17-9 through the top of the seventh.
The Knights added another run in the eighth inning after Wesolowski singled to bring
Bryce Butler home. The Knights closed the game with just one hit allowed in the bottom of the eighth and won 18-9 in eight innings.
Hansen earned the win on the mound after three innings pitched in relief and five strikeouts. The win is his first of the season and he allowed just two hits over his three innings pitched.
The Orange & Black had seven different players record an RBI and two players had four RBI in Stubitz and DeKruyf. Andrews finished 2/4 with three RBI and three runs scored for the Knights. Wartburg had four doubles and three homeruns (two grand slams) for a total of seven extra-base hits.
Wartburg's 18 runs scored resets the season high after game one's 17 run performance.
Next Time Out
The Knights are in action again on Tuesday, Apr. 5 for an A-R-C matchup with Luther College at home.
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