VERONA, Wis. – The Edgewood College baseball team kept pace in the NACC standings by splitting a pair of game with Lakeland College on Sunday at Stampfl Field. The Eagles lost a 6-4 lead in the opener, falling 9-6, but rallied for an 8-2 win in the second contest.
Edgewood College (11-15, 7-5 NACC) scored in the first inning on a sacrifice fly from Tim Nunn, giving starting pitcher Blake Bieri a quick 1-0 lead. Lakeland answered with two runs in the fourth, but the Eagles came up with a big number in the bottom of the same inning. The Eagles loaded the bases with one man out, when Jonathan Roehler launched a ringing double to left center field, scoring all three Eagles. One batter later, Roehler scored on a wild pitch to give the Eagles a 5-2 lead.
Nunn singled in Danny Appino in the sixth inning to help the Eagles maintain a 6-4 lead, but that would by most of the Eagles offense in game one. Lakeland College (7-14, 4-6 NACC) relief pitcher Travis Stever limited the Eagles to one hit over the final 3.2 innings. The Muskies meanwhile scored runs in each of the final three innings to command a 9-6 lead. Edgewood College had one final chance in the ninth inning, loading the bases with two outs, but Stever struck out the final Eagle batter of the game.
Roehler led the Eagles with a pair of doubles, a stolen base and three runs batted in. Bryan Sternig went 2-for-4 with a double. Bieri ended up with a no decision pitching 6.2 innings, striking out six batters and allowing six earned runs. Ryan Howell suffered the loss in relief. Bryce Lashley came on the finish the final 1.2 innings of the game.
In the second game, Edgewood College scored two runs in each odd-numbered inning to secure the split. Nunn gave the Eagles a 2-0 lead in the first driving in Sternig and Alex Fowler with a single to left field. The Eagles made it 4-0 in the third on a 2-run single by Jeff Tucker.
The Muskies picked up their only runs of the game in the fifth, but the Eagles answered right back in the bottom of the inning. Roehler drove in a run with a squeeze bunt that scored Garrett Bogucki and Steve Gavin followed with an RBI double down the right field line to plate Jake Yellovich. Edgewood College's final runs came in the seventh when Tucker and Roehler executed a double steal to allow Tucker to swipe home plate. Three batters later Sternig drove in Roehler with a bunt single.
Adam Eck earned his second straight win on the mound, striking out nine batters and allowing two earned runs over 5.1 innings. Alex Meister successfully closed out the sixth inning, while Bridger Berrett and Gavin allowed just one hit to the Muskies over the final three innings.
At the plate, Tucker went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and two runs batted in. Bogucki and Callen Gavic each had two hits, with Bogucki's total including a double.
With the split, Edgewood College slips into a tie for fourth place in the NACC with Benedictine. The Eagles trail league leader Concordia Chicago (10-2) and MSOE and Concordia Wisconsin (6-4). The Eagles next game will be a road trip to NCAA Division I program UW-Milwaukee on Wednesday afternoon. The Eagles and Panthers will get underway from Henry Aaron Field at 3:00 p.m.
