SANFORD, Fla. – The Calvin University baseball team opened its spring break trip to Florida with a doubleheader split against John Carroll University (JCU) on Saturday at Sanford Stadium.
JCU (7-3) won the opener 8-7 before Calvin (2-2) won game two 10-4 in a pair of seven-inning games.
Game 1
The Blue Streaks overcame a three-run deficit to take game one 8-7.
Calvin opened the scoring with a solo home run from
Logan Nelson (Fremont, Mich./Fremont) in the second inning, and then answered a four-run JCU third inning with six runs of their own in the top of the fourth.
Noah Swope (Portage, Mich./Portage Central) drove in the first two runs with a two-run triple, and
Ryan Brown (Caledonia, Mich./Caledonia) closed the scoring with a grand slam to drive in four more to give the Knights a 7-4 lead.
The Blue Streaks answered in the bottom of the fifth inning, however, loading the bases against Calvin starting pitcher
Nolan Coil (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) and then scoring four runs in the frame before holding the Knights scoreless the next two innings to secure the win.
Coil went four-plus innings in the start, allowing seven runs (five earned) on four hits while striking out six.
Ian Schuster (Howell, Mich./Howell) fell to 0-1 on the season in relief.
Brown and
Gabe Bonemer (Okemos, Mich./Okemos) each recorded two hits and two stolen bases.
Game 2
The Knights closed the day with a 10-4 win in game two to secure the doubleheader split.
Calvin opened the game with two runs in the bottom half of the first inning thanks to RBI from
Cam Seth (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian/GRCC) and Nelson, and then blew the game open with a six-run third inning to take an 8-0 lead.
Seth,
Nate Mason (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern), Swope and
Josh Winkle (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian) each had RBI singles in the inning, while the Knights also took advantage of an error and passed ball to score two other runs.
The lead was more than enough for Calvin starting pitcher
Evan Steinbacher (Sparta, Mich./Sparta), who earned the win (1-0) after allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out five in five innings.
Calvin added one run in the fourth inning on a
Matt Reynolds (Hopkins, Mich./Hopkins) sacrifice fly and another in the sixth on an RBI single from
Noah Etnyre (Northville, Mich./Plymouth Christian), and then held off a late charge by JCU in the top of the seventh inning before earning the final out.
Mason finished the day with four hits (including a double and triple) and four runs scored. Seth led the Knights with two RBI.
NEXT UP: Calvin baseball will return to action on Monday, March 10, when it plays Widener University in a doubleheader starting at 9:15 AM at Lake Myrtle Park in Auburndale, Florida.
