VERONA, Wis. – The Edgewood College offense provided 28 hits in just 13 innings of baseball on Wednesday night, but still only come out with a non-conference split against Illinois Tech. The Eagles pounded out 19 hits in the first game, but lost 8-7 before a decisive 11-1 victory in game two. Zack Creekmore reached base in both games, breaking the Edgewood College record for consecutive games reaching base safely.
The opening game at chilly Stampfl Field started like a slugfest with Illinois Tech scoring three runs in the top of the first, but Edgewood College (14-16) answering with two in the bottom of the inning. Creekmore singled home Danny Appino for an RBI and his record breaking hit, and later scored on a Scarlet Hawk error.
The Eagles stacked together four consecutive extra base hits in the third inning to score three runs. Nick Lehner started the streak with a double, followed by a Jacob Yellovich double. Then Jeff Tucker hammered a triple to center field and scored on Nick Cheaney's double. The Eagles had extended their lead to 7-4 on a two-run double by Creekmore, before Illinois Tech (18-6) began to make their move.
The Scarlet Hawks scored one in the fifth off Eagles' starter Erick Wendt and then knocked him out of the game in a three-run sixth inning. Edgewood College put runners on base in both the sixth and seventh inning, but failed to score the tying run.
Every Edgewood College position player recorded a hit, led by Lehner (3-for-4) and Appino (3-for-5). Creekmore had two hits including a double and three runs batted in. Tucker and Cheaney also had two hits for the Eagles. Wendt pitched 5.1 innings and allowed six earned runs while striking out two batters. AJ Verhage closed out the game, giving up two hits and getting one strikeout.
It was all Eagles in game two, as Edgewood College scored multiple runs in the second through fifth innings to snap their three-game losing streak. After putting up two unearned runs in the second inning, the Eagles posted three in the third. Tucker had an RBI single while Lehner and Callen Gavic also drove in runs. In the fourth, the Eagles scored four more, two on a Creekmore RBI single and another on a Lehner RBI single. In the fifth Brad Clark and Brodie Engel delivered back-to-back RBI doubles to plate two more runs.
Blake Bieri was strong on the mound, striking out six batters in six innings of work and only allowing one earned run on five hits. Elijah Roche finished up the seventh inning. Clark went 2-for-4 with an RBI to lead the Eagles at the plate. Creekmore and Lehner each had one hit and a pair of runs batted in.
Creekmore, who has now reached base safely in 28 straight games, broke the record of 26 he had shared with Shawn Burcum (2004) and Travis Krahn (2006). Creekmore currently leads the NACC in batting average (.457), slugging percentage (.681) and on-base percentage (.531) and is second with 40 runs batted in. Teammate Pat Manning extended his streak of reaching base safely to a career-long 21 straight games.
Edgewood College will be at home again on Saturday for their annual Strikeout Cancer Day to raise money for Breast Cancer Recovery. The Eagles will host Concordia University Wisconsin in a doubleheader that starts at 12:00 p.m.
