MINNEAPOLIS (March 3, 2006) -- Edgewood College split a doubleheader with Bethel University in a 2006 season-opening baseball doubleheader from the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome late Friday night. Bethel took the first game by a final score of 6-1. The Eagles earned the win in the nightcap, posting a 2-1 win in eight innings.
In the first game, the Eagles (1-1) carried a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning behind the left-handed arm of senior pitcher Jeff Potts (Kirkland, Wash.). But the Royals (1-1) capitalized on three Edgewood errors en route to scoring six unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth, highlighted by a two-out, grand slam homerun by Brandon Carr.
Edgewood’s lone run came in the top of the second inning. Andrew Handorf (DeForest, Wis.) belted a leadoff triple past a diving Kris Pulford in right field. Handorf then scored on a sacrifice fly by Ricky Martinez (Beach Park, Ill.). Tyler Dahmen (Madison, Wis.) led the Eagles at the plate going 2-for-3.
Bethel starting pitcher John Buteyn earned the complete-game victory and held the Eagles to just five hits. For Potts, it marked the first loss of his career as an Eagle. Potts was 6-0 as a starter in 2005. He allowed eight hits in six innings of work on Friday.
Edgewood again got on the scoreboard first in game two thanks to a solo homerun by Shawn Burcum (DeForest, Wis.) to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning. Burcum took the first pitch he saw from Royals pitcher Mike Gaustad about 10 rows deep into the left field bleachers.
However, the Royals retaliated in their next at-bats. A leadoff walk issued to Travis Wermedahl carried over into an RBI single for Carr after a sac bunt and a base hit by Stephen Krause helped move Wermedahl around the base paths, as Bethel tied the score at 1-1.
The Eagles had a golden opportunity to break the tie and win the ball game in the bottom of the seventh inning. Back-to-back singles by newcomers and former high school teammates Alex Berta (Normal, Ill.) and Cory McCullick (Hudson, Ill.) gave the Eagles runners at second and third base with no outs after McCullick took second base uncontested on the ensuing first pitch to the next batter, Karl Reynolds (Dodgeville, Wis.)
Reynolds pushed little dribbler in front of home plate that was scooped up by Wermedahl, the Royals' catcher, who caught Berta trying to score coming down the third base line. Jesse Anderson (Rochester, Wis.) then struck out and Burcum flied out to center to end the inning.
It looked as if the Eagles would again leave the potential game-winning run stranded in the bottom half of the eighth. Nick Wilz (Appleton, Wis.) and John Fish (Wisconsin Dells, Wis.) led off with back-to-back singles. Martinez then popped out to the shortstop and Ryan Siebert (Winthrop Harbor, Ill.) struck out looking. With two outs and runners at first and second, Berta got his redemption with a base hit up the middle of the infield for the game-winning RBI, as Wilz came around to score easily from second base.
Berta went 2-for-3 in game two, while Fish led all hitters with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate. The Eagles garnered a total of nine hits to match the Royals.
Bill Dictus (Combined Locks, Wis.) was awarded the victory after keeping Bethel grounded in the top of the eighth. Dictus allowed just one hit and faced four batters. Handorf started the game for the Eagles and pitched 5.1 innings, allowing seven hits and one earned run with two walks and three strikeouts.
The Eagles will play again Saturday night at the Metrodome, when they take on Augsburg College in a doubleheader at 10 p.m. CST. The first game of the twinbill will be webcast live on www.EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.
