Central baseball squad opens with split in Illinois

Central College

JACKSONVILLE, ILL.—Pitcher Joel Pulliam (Des Moines, Lincoln HS) was in mid-season form with 12 strikeouts in six innings as the Central College baseball team endured icy conditions in a season-opening split with Knox College (Ill.) Saturday. The Dutch won the opener 10-2 but stumbled 6-4 in the nightcap.

Central jumped on top in the opener, scoring one run in the first inning and four in the second. The Dutch added three tallies in the fourth and two in the sixth. Defensively, Central committed no errors.

“Joel set the tone for the day,” coach Adam Stevens said. “He kind of started of the year right where he left off last season. He really competed and threw well.”

Sam Stetzel (junior, Perry) had three hits and scored a run. Mike Furlong (senior, Davenport, Assumption HS) had two hits, including a home run, and two RBIs. Seth Carson (sophomore, Woodridge, Ill., Downers Grove South HS) had two hits and an RBI.

“We hit the ball hard and were pretty consistent up and down the lineup,” Stevens said.

In the second game, Central scored a run in the second inning, added two in the third and one in the fourth. The Dutch had two errors. Knox scored all six runs in the fourth inning.

“The fourth inning was a bit of a letdown,” Stevens said.

Carson and Allen Mann (junior, Marshalltown) each had two hits. Ryan Goetzinger (junior, Mason City) took the loss, tossing 3.1 innings. Judson McKown (sophomore, Maple Plain, Minn., Orono HS) threw the remainder of the game.

The Dutch take on NAIA Robert-Morris Springfield (Ill.) tomorrow in a seven-inning doubleheader at noon.

“There were lots of positives today,” Stevens said. “Hopefully we can take those into tomorrow.”