GREENVILLE, Ill. – Spalding baseball traveled to Greenville University for their first SLIAC matchup of the season. SU won game one, 11-2, and game two, 6-1.
Spalding moved to 10-9 (SLIAC 2-0), while the Panthers fell to 6-15 (SLIAC 0-2).
GAME ONE - SPALDING 11, GREENVILLE 2
As this conference matchup began, SU came out of the gates with something to prove. In the top of the second,
Evan Fisher singled to center field.
Jacob Spanyer followed by reaching base on a fielder's choice.
Matthew McDowell hit a single to right center field which allowed Spanyer to come home to get SU on the board first. The scoring did not stop there for the Golden Eagles as it hit the top of the third.
Ethan Tuttle singled to left center and advanced to second base on a fielding error by the Panthers.
Dryden Schroeder followed with a bunt single, which advanced Schroeder to third. As
Hunter Strong stepped up to the plate, the Panthers had another costly error. Tuttle scored for SU to make it 2-0. Fisher tallied a single through the right side to allow Spalding to grab another run in the third inning.
Caden Krystofiak had a monster game on the mound. He only allowed one hit through 6.1 innings and tallied seven strikeouts. In the sixth inning, Spalding grabbed two more runs. Spanyer scored off a sacrifice fly by
Joshua Wilmot.
Whitt Callahan scored right after a sacrifice from
Michael Speck. At the end of the sixth, SU had a five run lead over the scoreless Panthers.
The scoring for SU did not stop there. In the top of the seventh, the Golden Eagles had their biggest inning by far.
Hunter Strong tallied another RBI as he hit a triple to right field, sending Callahan home. Spanyer also tallied another RBI as he singled to left field, sending Strong home. Spanyer and Fisher ended up at home plate and were batted in by Wilmot and McDowell. Spalding led at the end of the seventh, 9-0.
To begin the eighth, Spalding grabbed two more runs of their own to make it 11-0. Strong tallied his second triple of the game, while Tuttle was walked. Greenville tried to fight back into this one with two runs of their own at the bottom of the eighth. Spalding held strong for the remainder of the game as SU took the win, 11-2.
GAME TWO - SPALDING 6, GREENVILLE 1
As the first pitch was thrown, Spalding did not take long to strike first again. Schroeder started off with a single to right field. Spanyer followed this with a single of his own advancing Schroeder all the way home to give SU the lead, 1-0. As SU held firm on defense once again, it reached the top of the second. The Panthers' pitcher was struggling as he walked back-to-back batters. Because of this, Schroeder tallied another RBI by hitting a single to center field, sending Speck home. SU led at the end of the second inning, 2-0.
Neither team could find runs for the next two innings. As it reached the top of the fifth inning, SU wanted to make their lead even bigger. Tuttle singled through the right side to get SU going. Strong hit a sacrifice fly to send Tuttle home.This advanced Spalding's lead to 3-0. For the next three innings, neither team could find any offense. It wasn't until the ninth inning until there were any more runs. Strong once again made contact with the ball. He singled through the left side. As two more Golden Eagles got on base, Callahan doubled to left field to grab three RBIs. This boosted SU's lead, 6-0. Greenville tried to fight back into this game, but unfortunately they could only grab a singular run. Spalding took the win, 6-1.
GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES
- Spalding grabbed their first two SLIAC wins of the season.
- Caden Krystofiak only allowed one hit through 6.1 innings and tallied seven strikeouts.
- Hunter Strong had four RBIs, two triples, and tallied a .444 batting average.
NEXT FOR SPALDING
Spalding will travel to SLIAC opponent Blackburn on Wednesday. First pitch will take place at 1 p.m.
