VERONA, Wis. - The Edgewood College baseball team was unable to avoid key mistakes and stay out of big innings in a pair of losses to Benedictine University on Saturday. Edgewood College dropped the first game 8-2 and then saw their comeback thwarted in the second game, falling 12-8. The losses represented the Eagles first two setbacks in NACC play.
Edgewood College (12-6, 4-2 NACC) opened up a 2-0 lead with runs in the first and fourth innings of game one. Danny Appino singled and eventually scored when Garrett Bogucki's ground ball was misplayed for a 1-0 lead. In the fourth inning, Tim Nunn led off with a double and moved to third on Callen Gavic's single. Two batters later, Bryan Sternig beat out an infield single allowing Nunn to race home with a 2-0 lead.
However, Benedictine University (11-8, 4-2 NACC) would take a 3-2 lead through six innings, and then strike the big blow on a Andrew Hotze grand slam home run in the seventh inning. Edgewood College opened the seventh inning with three straight singles, but Benedictine escaped with no runs allowed.
Sternig went 2-for-4 and Appino 2-for-5 to lead the Eagles' offense in the first game. Blake Bieri struck out six batters in 6.1 innings pitched, but fell to 3-2 on the season with the loss.
Edgewood College rallied from a 7-2 deficit to tie game two headed into the ninth inning, but Benedictine scored four in the top of the ninth for the win. The rally started in the fourth inning when Sternig brought home Gavic with a sacrifice fly, and Jonathan Roehler smashed a two-run double to center field. Nunn scored an RBI single in the seventh to make the score 8-6, setting up Edgewood College for the eighth inning.
Nick Cheaney got the Eagles going with a pinch-hit base on balls. After a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt by Alex Fowler, Appino pated pinch runner Ryan Cassady with a sacrifice fly to right field. Then with Roehler at the plate, Jeff Tucker scored on another Benedictine wild pitch to tie the game at 8-8. However, Tanner Kiser hit a two-run home run in the top of the ninth to give Benedictine the lead for good.
Appino went 3-for-4, while Roehler was 2-for-4 with a double and three runs batted in. Nick Lehner had two hits including a double, while Tucker also had two hits. Mason Maziarka started and pitched into the fourth inning before yielding to Ryan Howell. Jared Horton suffered the loss, pitching the final five innings.
Edgewood College slips into a tie for second place in the NACC, but has a big opportunity to climb back up on Sunday. The Eagles will face league leader Concordia University Chicago in River Forest, Ill.
