Central’s bats come to life in Illinois

Central College

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — An inbound snowstorm couldn’t cool the Central College baseball team’s hot bats Sunday as the Dutch offense was firing on all cylinders in a 15-4 rout of Robert-Morris Springfield (Ill.).

Despite frigid temperatures and snow on the horizon, the offensive firepower took over late for the Dutch. Down 3-2 to start the fifth, Central (2-1) climbed back on top with a three-run inning then went on to add six in sixth and another four in the seventh while Robert-Morris added just one run in the fifth. With Central up 11 and Robert-Morris (0-2) unable to respond in the bottom of the inning, the game was called after the seventh.

“We really executed well offensively and did a great job running the bases,” said coach Adam Stevens. “It was a tough loss last night but we really responded and came out and played a great game today.”

Central dropped the second contest of a doubleheader 6-4 against Knox (Ill.) Saturday after winning the opener 10-2.

Senior Mike Furlong (Davenport, Assumption HS) led the charge for the Dutch Sunday, going four-for-five from the plate with three doubles and three RBIs. Allen Mann (junior, Marshalltown) followed with three hits while Sam Stetzel (junior, Perry) led a slew of Dutch batters with two hits as he notched two RBIs and scored three runs.

On the mound, lefty Ryan Dusil (sophomore, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) got the start, throwing four and one-third innings before senior Mike Werkheiser (Stockton, Ill.) came in to earn the win.

Stevens highlighted a mistake-free defensive effort.

“We didn’t have any errors. That’s zero errors in two of our three games this weekend,” Stevens said. “That’s a promising sign as we look ahead.”

Central heads south March 9-16 in search of warmer conditions. The Dutch are scheduled for seven spring break showdowns in Fort Myers, Fla. and the first matchup pins Central against Babson (Mass.) March 9 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time.