VERONA, Wis. – Seventy degree days at the ball park are always good, but MSOE made sure the Edgewood College baseball team didn't get to enjoy much of their Saturday doubleheader. The Raiders pounded out 39 hits in sweeping the Eagles 17-3 and 14-3 at Stampfl Field in Verona. Senior Nick Lehner provided the Eagles' highlight of the day with two home runs in game two.
MSOE (14-10, 5-3 NACC) never gave the Eagles much of a chance opening up a 6-0 lead in game one, before Lehner hit an RBI double to right field to score Callen Gavic in the third inning. Alex Fowler hit a two-out RBI triple in the fourth and Jeff Tucker crushed a solo home run to center field in the sixth, but that was all of the Edgewood College (14-10, 4-6 NACC) scoring. MSOE held an 8-3 lead after six innings, and broke the game open with nine runs in the top of the eighth inning.
Danny Appino had three hits including a double, while Tim Nunn and Fowler both had two hits. Steven Gavin pitched into the sixth inning, and allowed four earned runs in suffering his second loss of the season.
In the second game, MSOE scored in every inning but the seventh and cruised to the victory. Lehner hit his fifth home run of the season with a shot to right field in the third inning, and then added his second dinger of the day with a blast just left of center. Lehner became just the seventh different Eagle in program history to hit two home runs in the same game. He now shares the NACC lead in home runs at six with Benedictine's Tanner Kiser. Lehner's power wouldn't be enough to keep the Eagles in the game, as MSOE hit three home runs in the sixth inning, highlighted by Ryan Newman's grand slam.
In addition to Lehner, Casey Willis also had two hits in the game. Jared Horton took the loss for Eagles, striking out four batters in 5.1 innings pitched. Rory Mulvihill pitched a scoreless seventh inning for the Eagles.
Edgewood College will attempt to regroup and break their six-game NACC losing streak on Monday at Lakeland University. The Eagles and Muskies will get their doubleheader underway at 1:00 p.m. on Lakeland's campus near Plymouth.