LEXINGTON, Ky. – Baseball landed as the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Spalding traveled to Legends Field in Lexington, Ky. SU grabbed a win over Beloit to secure another NCAA win.
SU finished their season with a 31-14 overall record.
GAME ONE - SPALDING 7, BELOIT 3
Right from the start, SU showcased their prowess as the top seed.
Evan Fisher's two-RBI double down the left-field line, allowing
Hunter Strong and
Ethan Tuttle to score, was a game-changer.
Caleb Coffey's RBI single through the left side further fueled the team's momentum, leading them to a 3-0 lead by the end of the first inning.
The pitching by
Jake Mueller was nothing short of phenomenal in the opening innings, showcasing the team's resilience. It reached the bottom of the fourth, with the Golden Eagles maintaining their 3-0 lead.
Michael Speck blasted his first home run of the season to left field, making it a 4-0 ball game. Beloit answered with three runs in the top of the fifth, but the team didn't falter.
Dryden Schroeder gave SU a comfortable cushion in the bottom of the fifth. Schroeder tallied an RBI double to left center field. This boosted SU ahead 5-3.
In the seventh, Spalding created massive separation. Fisher snagged his third RBI of the game, and Schroeder tallied another, making it 7-3. The Golden Eagles held firm on defense and took the win 7-3.
GAME TWO - SPALDING 2, BIRMINGHAM-SOUTHERN 4
The Golden Eagles struck early once again, opening the Winner-Winner matchup.
Jacob Spanyer tallied an RBI in the first inning, giving SU the early lead. The Panthers answered with a run in the bottom of the first, making it a tie game.
Spalding dug deep in the second inning.
Whitt Callahan hit a single RBI up the middle to put SU back on top 2-1. An inning went by, and the Panthers struck again. They tallied three RBIs of their own. The Golden Eagles tried to create offense, but the defense on both sides was elite. The Panthers took this win, 4-2.
GAME THREE - SPALDING 5, TRANSYLVANIA 6
The Pioneers opened the game on fire. They scored four runs unanswered as it hit the third inning. Strong got SU back into the game with a three-run homer, making it 4-3. Coffey continued his terrific performances at the NCAA Tournament. At the bottom of the fifth, Coffey tallied an RBI, making it 4-4.
As it hit the top of the seventh, Transy grabbed the lead right back, 5-4. Luckily, Coffey continued his great performance and came in clutch. In the bottom of the ninth, with two outs, Coffey allowed
Jonathan Lopez to score, making it 5-5. This game went into extras.
Three innings go by, and neither team could break the tie. In the top of the twelfth, the Pioneers tallied a run. Unfortunately, SU could not grab one, and Transy won 6-5.
GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES
This concluded the 2024 Spalding Baseball season. SU ended their season with a 31-14 overall record. The Golden Eagles were 16-2 overall in SLIAC play and were back-to-back SLIAC Champions.
