Box Score (Game 1)
Box Score (Game 2)
VERONA, Wis. - The Edgewood College baseball team continued to hold their ground in the Northern Athletics Conference, winning the first game of their doubleheader over Rockford College 10-4. However, for the third time this season the Eagles failed to win the second game of a doubleheader after winning the first, falling to the Regents 14-3 in the late game.
The Eagles grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the first inning. Mike Selvaggiand Scott Ortega singled and then both moved up to second and third on a balk charged to Rockford starter Tyler Clay. With one out, Seth Astroth hit a ground ball to Rockford College (11-6, 5-2 NAC) shortstop Jimmy Dercks, but Dercks throw to first was off target and bounced away from the first baseman, allowing Selvaggi to score from third and Ortega, who never stopped running, to slide in from second base.
Rockford College added a total of four runs in the fourth and fifth innings, before the Eagles managed to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth. Tim Barry drove in Astroth who had walked for the first run of the inning. Steve Binder followed with single to left field to drive in Jimy Landwehr and tie the game at four.
The decisive blow was struck by Edgewood College (12-8, 3-3 NAC) in the seventh inning. Landwehr drove in a run with an RBI single, followed by Barry reaching when he was hit by a pitch before Steve Binder came to the plate. Binder hit a drive into right field that bounced out of the glove of Eric Nicholson, allowing Landwehr to score. After the error, Ryan Walker singled down the right field line, driving in two runs to make the score 8-4 in favor of the Eagles.
The Eagles still weren't done in the seventh, as Andrew King scored from third on a wild pitch, and Ortega capped the inning with an RBI single that scored Walker. In all, the Eagles posted six runs in the inning to virtually put the game out of reach.
Senior pitcher Matt Krueger fought off some early Regent runs to retire nine of the last 10 Rockford College hitters and earn a complete game victory. Krueger struck out a career-high 11 batters, including six in the first three innings. Krueger improved to 3-1 on the season.
Every Eagle in the batting order scored at least one run and collected at least one hit, although all 12 of the team's hits were singles. Landwehr, Ortega and Jake Zadra led the team with two hits apiece, while Walker had a pair of runs batted in and a stolen base.
The Eagles jumped on top again in the second game, but the result would be dramatically different. In the bottom of the first, the Eagles put runners on first and second when Zadra led off with a single and Erik Massey was hit by a pitch. Landwehr then drove a 1-1 pitch deep into the right center field gap to clear the bases. Binder followed one out later with an RBI single that hopped over the head of the third baseman to give the Eagles a quick 3-0 lead.
This time, however, Rockford College (11-6, 5-2 NAC) would roar back. The Regents began to solve Eagle starter Blake O'Brien in the third inning when they plated two unearned runs. The game turned in the fourth and fifth innings when Rockford posted nine runs on nine hits, chasing O'Brien and seizing control of the game. The Eagles only managed to get one runner to second base over the final four innings of the game. O'Brien suffered the loss, his first of the season.
The Eagles had six hits on the game, with only Landwehr's triple going for extra bases. Zadra, Selvaggi and Ortega all stole bases in the game.
Edgewood College will be back at Stampfl Field for a rescheduled doubleheader on Thursday, April 15 against Benedictine University. First pitch will be at 4:00 p.m. and all the action will be broadcast live on EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.
