FORT MYERS, Fla. - It was a day of big innings early Friday at Terry Park on Edgewood College's fifth day of competition at the Gene Cusic Classic. UW-Stout used an eight-run second inning in the first game of the day to pull away while the Eagles scored all 14 of its runs in just two innings later on to push their overall record to 4-5.
UW-Stout got on board with an RBI single in the first for a 1-0 lead before unloading for eight in the bottom of the second. The Blue Devils recorded seven hits and the Eagles defense made three miscues as the home team went up 9-0.
The Eagles responded right away the next half inning with four runs on a pair of hits, led by a Jonathan Roehler triple that knocked in three runs. Two batters later Garrett Bogucki reached on an error by UW-Stout's first baseman, allowing Roehler to cross home plate for the fourth run of the inning.
Jeff Tucker provided the third and final hit of the game for the Eagles in the sixth with his first home run of his collegiate career to make it a 9-5 game. UW-Stout added one final run in the bottom of the sixth to close things out.
Nate Averill dropped to 0-2 after allowing six earned runs in 1.0+ innings. Alex Meister relieved him and allowed just two hits and one run in five innings of work. Junior third baseman Brodie Engel joined Roehler and Tucker as the lone Eagles to record a hit in the game after singling in the third.
Two huge innings coupled with another strong outing from senior righty Andy Swanson lifted the Eagles to a 14-5 victory in the penultimate game for the Eagles on their spring trip. The Eagles threatened in the first by putting runners on second and third but didn't explode until their next trip to the plate.
Jacob Yellovich singled and Callen Gavic doubled to put two runners in scoring position to lead off the inning. From there, Steve Gavin, Danny Appino, Roehler, Bogucki, Tucker and Gavic recorded RBIs, with all of them coming on singles besides Roehler, who reached on an error.
Tucker's RBI base knock to give the Eagles a 6-0 lead knocked UW-Stout starter Kellen Pearson out of the game. The Eagles eventually sent 12 batters to the plate in the inning.
The offense was right back at it in the fourth by scoring six runs on four hits. Appino and Bryan Sternig each had two-RBI singles to provide the key hits in the frame.
Swanson had given up just two hits prior to the fifth when the Blue Devils finally caught up to the ÂÂÂRockford, Ill. native. A hit batter and six-straight hits gave the Blue Devils a glimmer of hope in making it a 14-5 game but Swanson would allow just three hits the rest of the game.
Bogucki wound up 3-for-3 at the plate with an RBI and three runs scored while Yellovich and Gavic each had two hits and an RBI. Leadoff hitter Appino knocked in three and scored twice.
Swanson picked up his second complete game victory in as many starts after allowing 11 hits and five runs (all earned).
The Eagles wrap up the Gene Cusic Classic with an 8 am (CT) game on Saturday, March 19 against Amherst College at the Lee County Player Development Center in Fort Myers.
