Central completes baseball sweep of Nebraska Wesleyan
LINCOLN, NEB. – Taking both ends of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Central College baseball team completed a three-game weekend series sweep of Nebraska Wesleyan University.
Central (9-9, 3-0 American Rivers Conference) won Saturday’s opener 5-2 before hanging on to a 10-9 win in an 11-inning contest in game two,
The Dutch built an 8-0 lead through seven innings but the wheels came off a little in the eighth as Central gave up five runs and then three more in the ninth on five hits and three errors. The teams each tallied one run in the 10th inning to send the game into an 11th frame.
Coach Adam Carey inserted Hunter Nelson (freshman, Coconut Creek, Fla., Monarch HS) as a pinch hitter who led off with a single. Another base hit by shortstop Dylan Williams (sophomore, Bountiful, Utah, Woods Cross HS) preceded second baseman Logan McCoy (senior, Galva, Alta-Aurelia HS) getting hit by a pitch to load the bases. Max Steinlage’s (sophomore, center field, Cedar Falls) sacrifice fly would go down as the game-winning RBI.
“At the end of the day, we bounced back really will,” Carey said. “I was really impressed with our toughness all weekend but especially in game three.”
Steinlage was the starting pitcher in game two, tossing another seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts, four walks and four hits. Boston DeVault (freshman, Greenfield, Nodaway Valley HS) would pick up the win after throwing the final three frames with one strikeout, two walks, three hits and one run allowed.
Game one starter Mark Kenney (sophomore, Fennimore, Wis.) went 8.1 innings, striking out just one batter but scattering seven hits and two walks for just one earned run.
“I was really proud of our starting pitching all weekend,” Carey said. “Mark and Max both looked awesome today.”
McCoy and Williams each had three hits in the second game with McCoy scoring four runs. Third baseman Brayden Sawyer (sophomore, Grundy Center) also had a three-hit game in the opener. First baseman Declan O’Hare (fifth year, Los Angeles, Calif., John Marshall HS) had a home run and a double to drive in a pair of runs in the second game. He added another double in the first game.
Central hosts Coe College on Tuesday for a single game at 3 p.m.
