Dutch split doubleheader in marathon day of baseball

Central College

PELLA — The Central College baseball team fought for a split at home Saturday against Dubuque, winning the opener 4-3 on a Zach Zylstra (senior, Pella, Pella Christian HS) walk-off in the 13th inning before dropping game two 8-7.

In game one, Spencer Gritsch (junior, Brooklyn, Iowa, BGM HS) led off the bottom of the 13th with a single. Freshman Mason Ellis (Fairfield) laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Gritsch to second. Gritsch advanced to third on an error by Dubuque’s second basemen on the next at-bat before Zylstra’s single up the middle bounced off the pitching rubber allowing Gritsch to score.

Saturday was not the first time Zylstra connected on a walk-off single, he also drove Gritsch in on a bases loaded single to beat Illinois Tech in Tucson, Arizona on March 15.

“That’s the second time Zach’s done that for us this season,” coach Matt Schirm said. “That was good, it was a really big win for us.”

Andy Carr (senior, Rockford, Ill., Rockford Lutheran HS) gave the Dutch nine strong innings in the opener, holding the Spartans to just three runs. He struck out a career-high eight batters before giving way to Matt Schissel (senior, Milan, Ill., Rock Island Alleman HS). Schissel pitched the final four innings of the game, earning the win thanks to Zylstra’s walkoff.

“They both really battled and kept us in the game,” Schirm said. “Our offense had multiple chances to win and we finally got it done.”

Central pounded out 17 hits in game one, led by Gritsch’s career-high three hits. Leadoff man Dakotah Wolken (junior, Dillon, Iowa, East Marshall HS) also tied a career-high with three hits.

Central raced out to a 5-0 lead in game two, highlighted by a two RBI single by Seth Griffiths (sophomore, Ottumwa) in the second inning. Dubuque scored four runs in the fifth inning and three in the sixth to tie the game at seven headed into the final inning of the game, before completing a suicide squeeze in the top of the seventh to plate the game-sealing run.

The Dutch will have another four-game home stand next Friday and Saturday against Buena Vista with doubleheaders starting at 1 p.m. both days.

College baseball
at Dubuque

Game 1

Dubuque 000 020 001 000 0—3 10 2

Central 000 002 001 000 1—4 17 2

Trifiletti, Eastman, and Doherty; Carr, Schissel and Reuter. W—Schissel (2-1); L—Eastman (1-4). Central 8-12 (4-5), Dubuque 8-13 (3-6)

Game 2

Dubuque 000 403 1—8 8 5

Central 023 020 0—7 13 1

Garst, Padilla, Stumpf and Workman/Doherty; Wolken, Dornacker, Schissel and Reuter/Frideres. W—Stumpf (1-1); L—Dornacker (1-3). Central 8-14 (4-6), Dubuque 8-13 (3-6)