Dutch baseball squad downed by Dubuque in doubleheader

Central College

Central College

DUBUQUE — A furious late-game really narrowed the margin, but the Central College baseball team could not overcome a five-run deficit in game two and were swept 6-0 and 5-3 against the University of Dubuque Sunday.

Scoreless in the first 14 innings of the doubleheader, the Dutch (8-28, 5-19 Iowa Conference) offense showed life in the top of the eighth when left fielder Spencer Gritsch (senior, Brooklyn, Iowa, BGM HS) was driven in by designated hitter Ryan Garrett (sophomore, Aledo, Ill., Mercer County HS) on a single up the middle.

A lead-off single by Jake Hirst (junior, Davenport, Iowa, Assumpton HS) in the ninth inning helped two more runners cross the plate before the Spartans (19-17, 12-12 IIAC) squashed the Central threat.

“Our bats came to life a little bit there,” coach Matt Schirm said. “Their pitching struggled a little bit by giving us a few free bases, but we strung together some better at-bats in the last few innings that allowed us to make it close.”

Pitching 4.0 innings in relief of starter Charlie Palmer (freshman, Chariton), classmate Billy Coppage (freshman, Fort Madison) was stellar, allowing just one hit and one walk.

“Billy was great,” Schirm said. “He definitely kept us in the game and gave us a chance to make a run at the end.”

Garrett was the only player in the Central lineup to have a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 in the nightcap.

“Ryan had a couple of hard-hit ground balls that got through for hits,” Schirm said. “It was good to see him back on track a little bit.”

Pitcher Blake Judkins (junior, Marshalltown) took the loss in game one. He limited the Spartans to just three hits, but walked seven batters as he allowed four earned runs in 4.2 innings.

“Early in the game he worked out of several jams,” Schirm said. “He just didn’t command his pitches consistently.”

The final four-game conference series of the season is scheduled for this weekend against Loras in Dubuque. The Dutch and the Duhawks are both still in the hunt for the final two spots in the Iowa Conference tournament and a few wins would go a long way for either program.

“The most important thing is to just to play better,” Schirm said. “We have to eliminate free bases and string together more quality at-bats.”

Posted by on May 2 2016. Filed under College Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

Comments are closed

         

Search Archive

Search by Date
Search by Category
Search with Google
Log in | Copyright by Oskaloosa News