Dutch offense struggles to find runs in baseball losses
PELLA — The hits were there for the Central College baseball team but the runs did not follow in a pair of losses against Nebraska Wesleyan University Saturday.
The Dutch (11-13, 5-7 American Rivers Conference) fell 6-1 against the Prairie Wolves (12-15, 4-9 conference) in the first game and lost 8-0 in the nightcap.
Central recorded 14 total hits on the day, including three apiece from right fielder Colton DeRocher (junior, Sioux City, East HS) and pitcher/first baseman Declan O’Hare (senior, Los Angeles, Calif., John Marshall HS). Central left 17 runners on base over 18 innings and struck out 11 times.
“I looked at the scoreboard at one point and we both had seven hits,” coach Casey Klunder said. “We spread ours out and they clumped theirs together. They had a few extra-base hits and that’s the key. They took advantage of their hits and we would have a bad at-bat in the middle of a rally and it would cost us.”
Central also hit into four double plays and a triple play.
“It’s frustrating,” Klunder said. “Those are rally killers. Credit to them for being able to turn all of those. Their defense was good today.”
The only run of the day for Central scored on a bases loaded RBI walk taken by first baseman Garrett Finley (senior, DeWitt, Central DeWitt HS) in the third inning of game one.
O’Hare suffered the loss on the mound in the opener. Just two of the four runs charged to him were earned while he struck out six and allowed four hits and a walk. Zach DeMarlie (freshman, Milan, Ill., Rock Island HS) was game two’s losing pitcher, giving up seven runs in 5.1 innings. He gave up 10 hits with two walks and a strike out.
Landon Thiele (senior, Moline, Ill., Caleb Evans (senior, Davenport, Central HS), Parker Jones (junior, Verona, Wis., Verona Area HS) and Wes Hamor (sophomore, Tama, East Marshall HS) threw a combined 5.2 innings out of the bullpen, giving up three runs.
“Our pitching staff has really improved,” Klunder said. “We’re not where we want to be and where we are going to be, but we’re further down the road than we were a year ago.”
Central has a single nine-inning game on the road Tuesday at 3 p.m. to finish the season series.
