Central swept in baseball home opener

Central College

PELLA.— A normally stout defense struggled as the Central College baseball squad was swept by Augsburg College (Minn.) 8-0, 8-2 on Friday.
Through the first seven games of the season, the Dutch (2-7) had committed just eight errors. In the opener, the Auggies (9-7) pushed six runs across in the fifth inning aided by four Dutch errors. Central ended the day with six total errors but committed just one in game two.

“Our defense was pretty bad the first game, but rebounded pretty well in the second game,” coach Matt Schirm said. “Our defense has probably been our biggest positive all year.”

The Dutch were sluggish at the plate, combining for six hits in both games.

“We have to put together better at-bats and be more competitive at the plate,” Schirm said. “We need to find guys to put in the lineup that are going to be consistent offensively.”

Getting the start in game one, junior Blake Judkins (Marshalltown) got his first start since an injury took away his sophomore season. Judkins looked strong in 4.1 innings of work, striking out four while allowing one run.

“We’re being really cautious with him coming off the injury,” Schirm said. “It’s good to get him back on the mound. He’s generally going to give us a chance to win every time we play.”

Schirm also cited Matt Schissel (senior, Milan, Ill., Rock Island Alleman HS), game two’s starting pitcher who struck out five and allowed three runs in seven innings.

The Iowa Conference season starts next weekend as the Dutch will host Luther College for four games starting next Friday at 1 p.m.