Chicago, Ill. – Dominican University Baseball closed out its NACC slate with a doubleheader series at Illinois Tech on Tuesday.
Game 1 Results (F/7):
Dominican: 6
Illinois Tech: 21
How it Happened:
-Illinois Tech opened the game with 12 runs in the first inning, followed by another 3 runs at the bottom of the third and took a 15-0 lead.
-The Stars had runners on first and second at the top of the fourth, but could not spark enough offense to bring them home.
-By the end of the fifth inning, IIT led 21-0.
-Senior
Cliff Mayer entered the game at the bottom of the sixth and threw a scoreless inning.
-At the top of the seventh, Dominican's bats got to work. Freshman
Nick Lopez took the place of Senior
Richie Popo on first and scored on a single by Senior
Zach Helein. Senior
Matthew Earley then doubled to left, scoring Helein and Freshman
Austin Long, who reached base after a walk. After Sophomore
Tyler Griego was hit by a pitch, Senior
Ricky Powell singled to left and scored Earley. Senior
Tyler Johnson was then hit by a pitch, and Griego subsequently scored on a wild pitch. To end the inning, Freshman
Ryan McGrew grounded into a fielders choice that drove home Powell, ending the inning and the game with the Stars falling by a final score of 21-6.
Shining Stars:
-Senior
Zach Helein finished 3-4 with a double, RBI, and run scored.
-Senior
Ricky Powell was 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
-Sophomore
Christian Pogorzelski went 2-3 with a walk.
-Senior
Matthew Earley finished 1-4 with a double, 2 RBIs, and a run scored.
Leading the Way:
Hits: Helein and Powell (3)
RBI: Earley (2)
Runs: 6 Players (1)
2B: Helein and Earley (1)
HBP: Griego and Johnson (1)
IP: Cranmer (2.1)
Ks: Cranmer (3)
Game 2 Results:
Dominican: 12
Illinois Tech: 13
How it Happened:
-The Stars started the game on the offensive, taking a 1-0 lead after a double by Senior
Zach Helein and a single by Junior
Alex Garcia that brought Helein home. Illinois Tech answered with three runs at the bottom of the first.
-Dominican struck back at the top of the third, as a two-run homer by Senior
Matthew Earley scored Helein, who reached base on an error, and tied the game at 3-3. The Scarlet Hawks responded at the bottom of the third and regained the advantage at 4-3.
-At the top of the fifth, DU's offense continued to cause problems for IIT's pitching, starting with a single by Freshman
Austin Long. Helein followed Long's single with one of his own, then both players stole a base to move into scoring position. Earley then drew a walk, loading the bases. Long scored on a wild pitch, followed by a three-run shot by Senior
Ricky Powell, pushing the Stars ahead, 7-4.
-Between the bottom of the fifth and bottom of the sixth innings, Illinois Tech totaled 8 runs and surged ahead at 12-7.
-Determined to keep its tournament hopes alive, Dominican began to rally back at the top of the seventh inning, loading the bases with Helein, Earley, and Garcia. A sacrifice fly scored Helein, then a single by Johnson sent home Earley. Finally, a single by Freshman
Ryan McGrew scored Johnson and Garcia, cutting the IIT lead to 12-11.
-At the top of the ninth, the Stars continued their fight back, starting with back-to-back singles by Garcia and Powell. Freshman
Eric Sanchez was hit by a pitch, loading the basses. After McGrew was hit by a pitch, Garcia was forced home and tied the game at 12-12 heading into the bottom of the ninth.
-Illinois Tech walked off the game in the bottom of the ninth with a single as the Stars fell by a final score of 13-12.
Shining Stars:
-Senior
Tyler Johnson was 3-5 with a double, RBI, and run scored.
-Senior
Ricky Powell went 2-4 with a homer, 4 RBIs, and a run scored.
-Senior
Zach Helein finished 2-4 with a double, 4 runs scored, and a steal.
-Junior
Alex Garcia had a 2-4 day at the plate with an RBI, walk, and two runs scored.
-Senior
Matthew Earley posted a stat line of 1-3 at the plate with a homer, 2 walks, 2 RBIs, and 3 runs scored.
Leading the Way:
Hits: Johnson (3)
RBI: Powell (4)
2B: Helein and Johnson (1)
HR: Powell and Earley (1)
IP: Komperda (4.1)
Ks: Komperda (3)
What's Next:
Dominican University Baseball moves to 14-23 (7-17 NACC) on the season. The Stars finished the season with a 3-10 record at Wintrust Field, a 6-8 record on the road, and a 5-5 record at neutral sites.
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