AUBURNDALE, Fla. - The Calvin University baseball team split its doubleheader on Monday in Florida. The Knights took the opener 17-6 against Bethany (W.V.) before losing 13-7 against Concordia (Minn.) in the second game.
Game 1
The Knights pounded 19 hits on the way to a 17-6 win in seven innings in the morning game against Bethany.
Josh Winkle (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) put the Knights on the board with a two-run single in the first inning, and Calvin added four more runs to push the lead to 6-0 after two innings.
Aidan Jaworowski (Zeeland, Mich./Zeeland East) started the second-inning scoring with a two-run triple, and
Patrick Gillen (Jensen Beach, Fla./Jensen Beach) finished it with a solo home run to right field.
Bethany (1-5) scored two unearned runs off Calvin starting pitcher
Evan Steinbacher (Sparta, Mich./Sparta) in the third, but the Knights continued to push at the plate with one run in the third, five in the fourth inning, and three more in the fifth.
After a four-run Bethany sixth inning, Gillen walked off the Bison with a two-run home run to right field in the seventh inning to give the Knights the 11-run win.
Gillen finished the game 4-5 with a pair of home runs, four runs batted in and three runs scored. Jaworowski had three hits, including a double and triple, and drove in three.
Nate Mason (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern) had two hits and two runs, while
Carter Penn (Macomb, Mich./Lutheran North) also had two hits and two RBI.
Steinbacher (1-1) got the win after allowing two unearned runs and two hits with six strikeouts in five innings.
Game 2
Calvin (2-4) jumped out to an early lead, but Concordia (1-2) roared back with a pair of big innings to defeat the Knights 13-7.
The Knights scored twice to start the game thanks to RBI doubles from Gillen and
Caden Penn (Macomb, Mich./Lutheran North), and pushed their lead to 5-1 thanks to a Gillen solo home run bottom of the fifth. The home run was Gillen's fourth of the season and 10th of his career.
The Cobbers erased that lead with five runs in the fifth inning, but Calvin took the edge right back in the sixth inning on a two-run double by Mason that scored
Ryan Brown (Caledonia, Mich./Caledonia) and Gillen.
With the Knights leading 7-6 in the eighth inning, the Cobbers scored five runs in the eighth inning, and then scored twice more in the ninth to secure the win.
Ian Schuster (Howell, Mich./Hartland) started and pitched well for Calvin, allowing one run on three hits with three strikeouts in five innings.
Fletcher Bandstra (Schererville, Ind./Illiana Christian) took the loss after allowing three runs in 0.1 innings in relief.
Gillen went 3-4 with three runs scored and three RBI. Brown and
Ryan Schummer (West Lafayette, Ind./Central Catholic) each walked twice and combined for three runs.
COACH'S COMMENT: "We had a good day at the plate today," Calvin head baseball coach
Kevin Van Duyn said. "The middle of the order with Patrick and Nate had great at bats in both games, and we also had really good starting pitching with Evan and Ian. Our defense let us down a bit at the end of the second game, but we're looking forward to getting back at it tomorrow against Penn State Altoona."
NEXT UP: Calvin baseball returns to action on Florida with a single game against Penn State Altoona at 1:00 PM at Northeast Regional Park in Davenport, Fla.
