Dutch win in 13th inning on final day of baseball season

Central College

DUBUQUE — In a game that lasted over three hours and saw 24 total hits but just seven runs, the Central College baseball team knocked off Loras College 4-3 in the 13th inning on the front end of a doubleheader Saturday.

Central fell 2-1 on the back end of the twinbill, the final game of the season for the Dutch (10-30, 7-21 IIAC).

Facing a 3-2 count with two outs in the top of the 13th, designated hitter Kyle Crampton (sophomore, Omaha, Neb., Millard South HS) singled through the left side and shortstop Garrett Saunders (freshman, Bonparte, Van Buren HS) scampered home from second base to give Central the lead.

“It was a really good at-bat,” coach Matt Schirm said. “He was really disciplined and stayed ahead in the count. He put a good swing on it and got it through for a base hit.”

Senior Mark Schroeder (Chariton) came on to close the game out on the mound, striking out the final batter and stranding the game-tying run on third to pick up the save. Schroeder, who was scheduled to start in the second game, came up huge in a game that he was not expected to pitch.
“All along the plan was for him to start the second game,” Schirm said. “He came up to me towards the end of the first game and asked to close it if we got the opportunity. He got the job done.”

Starting pitcher Frankie Mauro (freshman, Des Moines, Dowling Catholic) used 106 pitches over eight innings, limiting the Duhawks to just two runs on seven hits. Fellow freshman Billy Coppage (Fort Madison) followed with four innings of work in relief to earn the win.

“Frankie has probably been our best pitcher the last few weeks,” Schirm said. “He shut their offense down for the most part today. Billy got into some trouble but he didn’t lose his cool and was able to battle his way through.”

Central had a chance to end the game earlier in the 10th when right fielder Jake Hirst (sophomore, Davenport, Assumption HS) led off the inning with a home run. Hirst also had a double and a triple while going 3-for-6 at the plate.

“He’s stepped up offensively over the last 8-10 games,” Schirm said. “It was a good finish to the year for him, I hope he carries that into next season.”

In game two, both of Central’s hits belonged to second baseman Noah Stochl (New Hampton) while Schroeder took the loss despite allowing just two runs over six innings as the starting pitcher.

The Dutch will lose seven seniors to graduation but return a solid core of the team that while still young, has earned a wealth of experience to prepare them for the future.

“These seniors have meant a lot to me and to the program. They’ve done a good job of leading by example. They came every day to practice to work hard and to get better. They’ve made a huge impact on the program and we’re sorry to see them go.”

“We definitely saw some bright things from some of our young guys this year. We obviously have to get better in a lot of areas, but I think we have a good nucleus of guys going forward.”