MEQUON, Wis. – The Edgewood College Eagles baseball squad opened Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Tournament play Thursday at Kapco Park. As the fourth seed, they battled with fifth-seeded Illinois Tech and top overall squad Aurora. The Eagles (24-17) put together an impressive 9-2 victory over the Scarlet Hawks (21-20) to advance to the nightcap to face the Spartans (36-3). Aurora, ranked sixth in the nation, took home a 12-1 victory in seven innings.
NO. 4 EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 9, NO. 5 ILLINOIS TECH 2
- A double down the left field line sent home both runs for the Scarlet Hawks on the day in the first inning. The rest of the affair was all Eagles. They immediately swung things back around in their favor with a four-run first.
Kyle Prindle sent a two RBI double down the right field line.
Cooper Holewinski's RBI single to right center followed by a
Daniel Bentivegna double to center field left things at 4-2 after one.
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Kyle Sagan sent a moonshot over the left field wall to score a pair in the fourth, while Holewinski continued his strong showing with a RBI double to left center. A fielding error by the third baseman on a fielder's choice would wrap up the scoring and put the final nail in the Illinois Tech coffin, sending in a pair of unearned runs.
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Leo Stone continued his strong finish to the season. He silenced the Scarlet Hawk bats, allowing only three hits and no runs after the first inning. He struck out six in a complete game.
- Sagan and Holewinski had three hits and two RBIs, with Sagan adding in a walk.
Connor Goodwin and Prindle rounded out the multi-hit Edgewood College batters.
NO. 1 AURORA 12, NO. 4 EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 1 (7 INNINGS)
- The Spartans fired off the blocks and never looked back. An error by the shortstop allowed an unearned run to score in the first, but the Aurora offense really clicked in the next two innings. A solo shot to left field tallied one to start the second, with a double down the right field line and a single down the left field line sending two more home. A pair of singles added on a pair of runs in the third to leave things at 6-0 Spartans.
- A Prindle double to left in the fourth put the Eagles on the board, but Aurora replied with solo home runs in the fourth and sixth to lead 8-1.
- The Spartans closed the door on things in the seventh. A single to right field scored one, while Jacob Ambuel's second home run of the game was a three-run game ender to left field.
- Prindle reached base all three times up to bat. He was one-of-one at the plate with a pair of walks.
- Jack Fisher tossed a gem, holding Edgewood College bats to just three hits and striking out five.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Sagan and
Joseph Kalafut each broke an at-bats record in game two. Sagan's 175 at-bats for the season put him ahead of Jimy Landwehr's 2010 total of 174, while Kalafut's 584 career at-bats placed him ahead of Travis Krahn and his 582 from 2001-04.
- The Eagles hold an 8-3 series advantage over Illinois Tech and have won all three meetings this season. The Spartans possess a 27-10 series lead and have won five of six over Edgewood College.
- Stone has recorded a save and two wins in his last three appearances on the mound for the Eagles.
UP NEXT
Edgewood College will play an elimination game tomorrow at the NACC Tournament. They will face No. 3 MSOE with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m. in Mequon, Wis. The two teams split a doubleheader earlier this season and the Eagles have a 45-23 lead in the all-time matchups.
