Dutch take baseball split on Senior Day

PELLA – Game one starting pitcher Max Steinlage (junior, Cedar Falls) struck out seven batters to help the Central College baseball team to a 9-6 win Saturday against Simpson College.

The Dutch (16-19, 7-14 American Rivers Conference) dropped the second game to the Storm (15-20, 8-13 conference) 6-2.

Steinlage allowed just two earned runs in 6.0 innings on the mound. He gave up three hits and five walks. Bryce Haessig (junior, Huxley, Ballard HS) earned a three-out save, his fifth of the season. He yielded just one earned run.

“I was really excited to see the way Max competed and bounced back from inning to inning,” coach Adam Carey said. “That was a good start by him. Bryce looked good out of the bullpen, too.”

At the plate, the Dutch had 14 hits. Shortstop Garrett Guenther (sophomore, Grayslake, Ill., Central HS), catcher Dom DeLaPaz (senior, Davenport, West HS), and second baseman Chance Dreyer (junior, Davenport, Assumption HS) had three hits apiece. Guenther drove in three runs and DeLaPaz drove in a pair.

“We swing it well and stuck to our approach,” Carey said. “We passed the torch from at-bat to at-bat and did a great job, from 1 to 9.”

Mark Kenney (junior, Fennimore, Wis.) got the start on the mound in game two and took the loss. He tossed 5.2 innings, giving up two earned runs. He walked out four and struck out one, working around seven hits.

“Mark is Mr. Consistent,” Carey said. “We know every time he gets a start, we know we’re going to have a chance to win the game. He competed hard all day.”

Let fielder Dylan Williams (junior, Woods Cross, Utah) had two hits in the loss and drove in a run. DeLaPaz had a sacrifice fly, his 40th RBI of the season.

Central’s final weekend series starts next Thursday with a 7 p.m. game at Pella High School against Loras College.