Box Score (Game 1)
Box Score (Game 2)
VERONA, Wis. - Edgewood College senior centerfielder Jimy Landwehr delivered a near perfect performance at the plate, but the Eagles were bitten in the nightcap again and settled for their fifth straight doubleheader split, this time against Benedictine University. The Eagles earned a 17-12 win in game one, only to fall 14-9 in game two.
Landwehr went 8-for-9 in the doubleheader with two doubles and his first career home run. He reached base safely in his first 10 plate appearances, spoiled only by a strikeout his last time up.
How good was Jimy Landwehr? He even had Mother Nature bending to his will. In his first at-bat of the second game, Landwehr hit a foul pop up that seemed to be headed toward the third base dugout. However, a strong gust of wind pushed the ball back into fair territory where it landed near the third base line, giving Landwehr his fifth base hit of the night. After Thursday's binge, Landwehr leads the Northern Athletics Conference with an even .500 batting average.
Colin Gilreath of Benedictine University (10-13, 5-3 NAC) opened the first game with a grand slam home run in the top of the first inning, but the Eagles quickly erased the early lead. Landwehr drove his first career home run to straight away center field in the bottom of the first, before Edgewood College (13-9, 4-4 NAC) tacked on five more in the second. Seth Astroth, Mike Selvaggi and Scott Ortega all delivered RBIs before Landwehr smoked a two-run double down the right field line.
Edgewood College managed to score a run in every inning of the game. Darren Besch drove in two runs with a two-out single to right field in the fourth inning. Edgewood College was assisted on the night by Benedictine's seven errors in the field, which led to five unearned runs.
Eagle starter Scott Winters settled in nicely after the early grand slam. He held Benedictine to just one hit in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, before leaving the game with two outs in the top of the seventh. Winters improved to 5-1 on the season, allowing eight earned runs on six hits with five strikeouts and seven base on balls. Freshman Jason Towns entered in a bases loaded jam in the ninth inning and recorded a game-ending double play for his first career save. Wildness was a problem for the Edgewood College pitching staff as four Eagle pitchers combined for 13 walks, two hit batters and five wild pitches.
Landwehr ended the first game 4-for-4 with four runs scored, two walks and three runs batted in. He reached base in all six plate appearances. Besch earned the first multiple hit game in his career, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Steve Binder and Erik Massey also had two hits apiece, with Binder adding a double.
The second game started much like the first one, with Benedictine getting ahead in the first inning, before Edgewood College retook the lead. Following a 64-minute rain delay in the middle of the second inning, Ortega tied the game with a two-run double to right-center field. In the third, Landwehr stroked another RBI double and Binder pushed home a run with an RBI fielder's choice for a 4-2 Edgewood College lead.
Benedictine would go back in front, 5-4, with a three-run fourth inning, before Edgewood College would tally four in the bottom of the inning. Seth Astroth, Binder, Andrew King and Selvaggi all drove home runs for an 8-5 Eagle lead.
However, the Edgewood College bats would go silent from that point on. The Eagles scored once in the sixth, but failed to get a hit in the final three innings, while Benedictine tallied runs in every inning from the third on.
Landwehr finished 4-for-5 for his third four-hit game of the season and eighth in his career. He is currently on a career-high 12-game hitting streak, breaking his previous best of 11 set in 2007. Binder and Ortega both went 2-for-5 with two runs batted in, with Ortega adding a double. Starting pitcher Glenn Nowell suffered the loss and fell to 1-3 on the season.
Edgewood College will be on the road for a pair of NAC doubleheaders this weekend. The Eagles travel to Dominican on Saturday, before hosting MSOE on Sunday. All four games can be seen live on the web. Viewers should go to EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com to find the appropriate links.
