The Dominican University baseball team split a doubleheader against the Fontbonne University Griffins on Sunday in St. Louis. The Stars captured the first game 10-5 but dropped the second 7-0 to move to 1-2 on the season.
"It was a good weekend where we learned a lot about ourselves," commented
Steve Hardman, the Stars' fifth-year head coach, following the doubleheader. "We learned what we need to continue to work on if we are to take that next step as a program."
Game One – Dominican 10, Fontbonne 5 A huge seventh inning for the Stars propelled them over the host Griffins at Shaw Park. Dominican pushed across eight runs on eight hits and two errors in the frame to erase a three-run deficit and emerge with the 10-5 win.
After the Stars' leadoff hitter reached on a Fontbonne error,
Colin Janison (Las Vegas, Nev.) roped a double and
Cody Schuster (Las Vegas, Nev.) walked to load the bases and start the carousel.
Mike Piotrowski (Arlington Heights, Ill.),
Nathaniel Natividad (Oak Lawn, Ill.),
Joe Kukla (Chicago, Ill.) and
Royce Salay (Henderson, Nev.) each logged RBI singles in the rally before Schuster capped the inning with a two-run single as the Stars sent 13 hitters to the plate in the inning.
Quinlan Milne Rojek (Minneapolis, Minn.) got the start for the Stars on the mound, tossing five innings. The senior right-hander surrendered five runs on nine hits while striking out five and walking none.
Robert Bavone (Bellwood, Ill) and
Tyler Brown (Bartlett, Ill.) each threw a scoreless inning as Bavone picked up the win out of the Stars' bullpen while Brown struck out the side in the last of the seventh.
Offensively, the Stars pounded out 14 hits in game one, led by Janison who went 4-for-5 with a double and a pair of runs scored. Schuster was 2-for-4 with three runs batted in.
"That was a great comeback and team win," said Hardman. "We did not give up and put up eight runs in the last inning. We kept picking up hits and giving it to the next guy."
Game Two – Fontbonne 7, Dominican 0 In game two of the day, Dominican managed just three hits in falling 7-0.
"As pleased as I was with game one, I was that unsatisfied with our play in game two," said Hardman. "It was nothing physical and all mental. We were content with the comeback in game one and did not put a team away when they needed to be put away."
Senior
Chance Emlund (Chicago, III.), making his first start of the season, was tagged with the loss, lasting 5.2 innings before giving way to the bullpen. Emlund was charged with all seven runs, six earned, on ten hits and three walks while striking out three.
The Stars have a week off before they head to Fort Myers, Florida, to compete in the 2016 Gene Cusic Classic. Dominican will face Haverford College in a doubleheader at 9:00 EST next Sunday. Check out the baseball page for live stats and video coverage links.
