FRANKLIN, Wis. – After four straight NACC doubleheader splits, the Edgewood College baseball team finally broke out the brooms for a sweep against MSOE at the Rock Complex in Franklin. The Eagles received a pair of complete game pitching efforts from Nate Averill in an 8-4 opening game win and Andy Swanson in a 9-0, four-hit shutout in the second game. With the wins, the Eagles have vaulted in a tie for second place in the NACC standings.
Edgewood College (10-14, 6-4 NACC) trailed only once on the day, at 2-1 after the third inning in the opening game. Callen Gavic made sure the Eagles didn't trail for long. The sophomore first baseman smashed a double to center field which score Jeff Tucker and Jonathan Roehler for a 3-2 Eagles lead. Those would be the first two of a career-high five RBI in the game.
In the sixth inning, the Eagles added two more on a bases loaded hit by pitch for Tim Nunn and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Garrett Bogucki to take a 5-2 lead. MSOE scored one in the bottom of the sixth, but a Gavic sacrifice fly in the seventh kept the Eagles ahead 6-3. In the top of the ninth inning, Gavic completed his monster game with a two-run blast to center field. MSOE scored once in the bottom of the ninth and managed to get the tying run to the plate, but Averill struck out Nick Jablonski with the bases loaded to end the game.
Gavic ended the game 3-for-3 with a double, a home run and five runs batted in. Bogucki was nearly as good, going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Bryan Sternig and Jacob Yellovich each had a double for the Eagles.
Averill picked up his second complete game win in his last three starts. The senior struck out five batters and allowed only three earned runs for his second victory of the season.
In the nightcap, senior Andy Swanson made sure MSOE (13-13, 4-4 NACC) never had a chance. Swanson entered the game with 99 career strikeouts and didn't have to wait for the second batter of the game to reach 100 career strikeouts. Swanson struck out the Raiders' Tyler Doyle to make him the 14th pitcher in Edgewood College history with 100 career strikeouts.
Swanson limited the Raiders to one hit through the first five innings, but the Eagles themselves didn't get on the board until the fifth. After the Eagles loaded the bases, Sternig delivered a two-out single to right field to score Jacob Yellovich and Jeff Tucker. After Sternig swiped second base, Danny Appino drove home both him and Roehler with a base hit for a 4-0 Eagles lead.
Swanson's catcher, Bogucki made sure his pitcher had an even larger cushion to work with in the eighth. With Appino and Nunn aboard, Bogucki launched a home run to left field for a 7-0 lead. For Bogucki it was his fourth home run of the season, moving him into a tie for second place in the conference home run race. Edgewood College posted a pair of unearned runs in the ninth, but Swanson hardly needed the help at that point.
MSOE's best chance to score came in the bottom of the eighth. Matt Melbye hit a two-out double to place himself on second base. Case Magyar followed with a single, but the Eagles' Appino threw out Melbye at the plate to end the inning.
With his first career complete game shutout victory, Swanson improved to 4-1 on the year. He struck out six batters and walked none, while allowing only four hits. Three of those hits came in the final two innings. With 105 career strikeouts, Swanson now ranks 12th all-time in Edgewood College history.
Tucker went 2-for-3 with a double and a stolen base for the Eagles in game two. Appino also had two hits and a stolen base. Bogucki's three RBIs, all on his eighth inning home run led the team in that category.
After the day's results, the Eagles find themselves in a tie for second place in the NACC standings with Benedictine University. Concordia Chicago is two games in front at 8-2. Edgewood College will host Lakeland College in another NACC doubleheader on Sunday at Stampfl Field in Verona. First pitch is at 1:00 p.m.
