Central baseball squad splits season-opening twinbill

Central College

AUBURNDALE, FLA.— Dylan Diveney (sophomore, Marshalltown) sizzled on the mound in game one as the Central College baseball team split on opening day against Rhode Island College, winning the opener 2-1 and dropping the nightcap 4-3 in extra innings.

Diveney, the 2015 Iowa Conference Pitcher of the Year was superb on the mound for the Dutch (1-1) against the Anchormen (2-3) in the opener. He scattered seven hits, allowed just one walk and recorded 10 strikeouts.

“He pretty much just picked up where he left off last year,” coach Matt Schirm said. “He was pretty dominant. It’s what we’ve come to expect from Dylan.”

In game two, Central scored three in the top of third, racing out to a 3-0 lead. The Anchormen countered with two of their own in the bottom half of the inning. After tying it up in the bottom of the seventh, Rhode Island walked off in the bottom of the eighth to salvage a split.

Making his Dutch debut, freshman Garrett Saunders (freshman, Bonaparte, Iowa, Van Buren HS) started both games as the designated hitter.

“It was a pretty impressive college debut for Garrett,” Schirm said. “He looked like a seasoned veteran at the plate. Even when he got out, he hit the ball hard. It was a really good day for him.”

Central continues its spring break trip tomorrow at 2 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) for a nine-inning affair against Albion College (Mich.). The Dutch will look to make some adjustments heading into its second day of games.

“We need to score more runs,” Schirm said. “We had some bad luck today, but we need to find a way to score more runs. We need to continue to pitch and play defense as well. This trip is really about finding out about ourselves and trying to put a good product on the field. We just need to continue to make strides toward that goal.”