Central scores spring break sweep
Central College
MESA (ARIZ.)—The Central College baseball team grabbed an early lead in a 3-2 win before the bats erupted for a 13-2 victory as the Dutch swept Rockford College (Ill.) in their spring break opener Saturday in Mesa, Ariz.
Senior Ryan Allison (Rock Island, Ill.) connected for a single on two outs, driving in two runs in the first inning to give the Dutch an early advantage. Sophomore Allen Mann (Marshalltown) brought in Allison off a squeeze play for the winning run in the sixth inning. The Regents responded with two runs of their own in the top of the seventh, but came up short.
“It was good to get the lead right away in the first inning and then manufacture our third run, the winning run, in the sixth,” coach Adam Stevens said.
Junior pitcher Joel Pulliam (Des Moines, Lincoln HS) picked up the win. He threw the complete game, posting seven strikeouts and limiting Rockford to four hits.
“Pulliam really threw well and as a team we competed well and played good defense,” Stevens said.
Central shortened the nightcap to seven innings with a 10-run margin, racking up 14 hits and committing no errors. The Dutch held an 8-1 lead after four innings, but added a five-run fifth inning to erase all chances of a Regents comeback.
Senior Jarred Lackey (Somerton, Ariz., Cibola HS) and junior Josh Stanton (Homer Glen, Ill., Lockport Township HS) drove in three runs while Miller scored two runs and brought in two. Both Miller and Stanton went 3-for-3 at the plate.
Sophomore Ryan Geotzinger (Mason City) earned the win, pitching five innings and striking out eight. Mike Werkheiser (junior, Stockton, Ill.) and Bret Bell (junior, Jewell, South Hamilton HS) each had two strikeouts in an inning of work.
“Our offense just came to life,” Stevens said. “We had really good at bats and another good effort on the mound.”
The two wins are a good marker for the Dutch in the early season as Rockford has posted 27-win seasons over the last four years and was co-champion of the Northern Athletics Conference in 2010.
Central meets Wis.-Stout in a doubleheader Sunday at noon (Eastern Time). It’s the season opener for the Blue Devils, who finished the 2010 season with an 11-28 record.
“We put together a good doubleheader today and we’ll come out tomorrow and try to do the same,” Stevens said.
Game one:
Rockford (Ill.) 000 000 2 — 2 4 1
Central 200 001 x — 3 7 2
W—Pulliam; L—Ketzner. Leading hitters—C: Miller 2×2
Game two:
Central 131 350 0 — 13 14 0
Rockford (Ill.) 001 010 0 — 2 9 2
W—Goetzinger; L—Kuchelmeister. Leading hitters—C: Miller 3×3, Lackey 2×4, Stanton 3×3. R: Grimes 2×4.
