TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Calvin University baseball team split its Saturday doubleheader at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT) to end its three-game weekend series.
RHIT (6-5) won the opener 11-7, but Calvin (8-7) won game two 13-1 in seven innings to secure the split.
Game 1
Calvin was unable to overcome a big early deficit in the game-one defeat.
Patrick Gillen (Jensen Beach, Fla./Jensen Beach) carried the offense early, hitting his ninth home run of the season in the first inning and an RBI-double in the third, but RHIT scored 10 times in the first five frames to take a 10-2 advantage.
The Knights started to come back in the sixth inning on a two-run home run by
Carter Penn (Macomb, Mich./Lutheran North), and then scored three more times in the seventh thanks to RBI from Gillen,
Nate Mason (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern) and
Matt Reynolds (Hopkins, Mich./Hopkins) to cut the deficit to 10-7.
In the eighth, the Knights brought the tying run to the plate with no one out, but the Fightin' Engineers got out of the inning by retiring the next three batters and then added an insurance run in the bottom half of the inning on the way to the win.
Calvin starting pitcher
Evan Steinbacher (Sparta, Mich./Sparta) allowed eight runs (four earned) on seven hits and four walks as he fell to 2-2 on the season. Calvin pitchers allowed 12 hits in the game, and three defensive miscues led to five unearned runs.
Gillen led the offense with three hits, three RBI and two runs.
Noah Etnyre (Northville, Mich./Plymouth Christian) and
Will Mueller (Aurora, Ill./Metea Valley) both had a pair of hits.
Game 2
The Knights jumped in front early and put the game away late in a 13-1 win in game two in seven innings.
Calvin took advantage of early control issues by RHIT to score three times in the second inning, and then added one run in each of the next three frames to take a 6-1 lead after five innings.
The Knights put the game away in the top half of the sixth, scoring seven runs on five hits and two errors. Reynolds started the scoring with an RBI-double and then came around to score on a
Ryan Schummer (West Lafayette, Ind./Central Catholic) single. After a pair of errors plated Schummer and
Aidan Jaworowski (Zeeland, Mich./Zeeland East), Mason hit an RBI-double and
Caden Penn (Macomb, Mich./Lutheran North) finished the scoring with an RBI-groundout.
The 13 runs were more than enough for three Calvin pitchers, as
Alex Owen (St. Johns, Mich./St. Johns),
Ian Schuster (Howell, Mich./Hartland) and
Levi Suter (Martinsville, Ind./Martinsville) combined to allow only five hits and three walks.
Owen started the game and went 3.0 innings, allowing one run on three hits. Schuster (1-0) earned the win after three scoreless innings in relief, while Suter closed the game with a scoreless seventh frames.
Mason led the Calvin offense with three hits (including two doubles), while
Carter Penn also recorded three hits and three runs. Schummer belted his second home run of the season in the fifth inning and scored three times in the game. Schummer, Jaworowski and
Ryan Brown (Caledonia, Mich./Caledonia) each drove in two runs.
COACH'S COMMENT: "After a tough start, it was great to see the guys persevere and come out with a win in a tough environment," Calvin head baseball coach
Kevin Van Duyn said. "We're looking forward to getting back home and playing our first home game this week against Manchester."
NEXT UP: Calvin baseball returns to action on Wednesday, March 20, when it hosts Manchester in the home opener for a game scheduled to start at 1:00 PM.
