CASA GRANDE, ARIZ. - Rain in southern Arizona on Saturday threw a curve ball at Madison College and Williston State College, who were scheduled to play a single game in Tucson. Instead, the two program's shifted course, met up at Vista Grande HS, and proceeded to split a neutral site doubleheader. The
#8-ranked WolfPack won the first game by a 7-0 final, while the Tetons broke a tie game with a fifth-inning run to claim the finale 3-2. The loss ended an eight-game win streak for the Pack against WSC, however, the all-time series still favors Madison College by a 28-5 tally.
Game #1: #8 Madison College 7, Williston State College 0 (7 innings)
Playing as the home team in the first game, the WolfPack staked themselves to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when
Will Johannes' two-out single to right field scored freshman
Chris Calico, who led off the inning with a line drive single of his own. Two innings later - and after the Tetons' starting pitcher struck out all three Madison College batters in the second - the Pack found themselves with the bases loaded on two walks and a hit batter. A two-out walk of
Payton Frehner forced in
Sam Steuber, and freshman
Charlie Schau added on with a two-run single up the middle to score Charlier Marion and Johannes for a 4-0 advantage.
The lead grew to 6-0 in the fifth with one swing of the bat. After Jake Petasaek reached on a single to right, Marion clobbered his second two-run homer in as many days over the centerfield fence. Marion added to his statline in the sixth, sending a ground ball through the right side to drive in Calico for a 7-0 differential.
Marion racked up a team-leading three runs batted in and two runs scored on two hits, giving the sophomore seven RBI, six runs scored, and four hits through the season's first three games.
Calico, an outfielder from West Salem, Wisconsin, also had two hits and two runs scored, establishing career-high marks in both categories. Schau went 1 for 2 with a walk and two runs batted in.
On the hill, first year pitcher
Gradin Taschner (1-0) registered ten strikeouts in his collegiate debut. The Neenah, Wisconsin, native and transfer from Illinois State University earned his first win after holding the Tetons to one hit and four walks over five scoreless innings. He struck out the side in the fourth inning. Sophomore
Allen Leitner took over in relief for the final two frames, and struck out four of the eight batters he faced, while also giving up a hit and a walk.
Game #2: Williston State College 3, #8 Madison College 2 (7 innings)
After Madison College (2-2) was unable to capitalize with runners on in the top of the first in game two, Williston State College (8-4) took a 2-0 lead on a two-out, two-run double off starter
Liam Stumpf.
The WolfPack got one run back in the second thanks to a sacrifice fly by second year outfielder
Dayton Rozinski-Hicks that plated freshman
James Duncan. A double and an error put the Pack in another scoring situation in the third, and Duncan took advantage, lining a single to right to bring home
Charlie Schau for a 2-2 tie.
The score remained even into the fifth inning, when the Tetons opened with a single and a walk. An error by catcher
Nick Nowak on a bunt play allowed what proved to be the game-winning run to score. Madison College did have runners aboard in the sixth and seventh innings, but were unable to drive in in.
Nowak, Schau, and Duncan all had two hits in the game to pace the Pack offense. Duncan finished with a run scored and one batted in, while Schau had a run scored.
Stumpf (0-1), a righthander from Dodgeville, Wisconsin, struck out five in his five innings, and held WSC to three runs, two of which were earned, on six hits and a walk. Freshman
Noah Musolf worked one inning in relief, recording a K and one hit allowed.
Follow WolfPack baseball: Facebook |
Twitter
