MOUNT VERNON, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - Junior
Ryan Koester's third home run of the season provided the difference in the scoring against Cornell in game two on Thursday, lifting the Duhawks to a split. On the mound, junior
Robert Hovey pitched a complete game and improved to 5-0 this season, scattering four hits over nine innings.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Game One
- Out of the gates, Loras looked to be in position to take an early lead with a pair of hits in the top of the first, but the two-out rally never materialized.
- Cornell broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third, after committing a pair of errors on one play which put the Rams' TJ Rausch at third. Walker Breard collected the RBI after a single to right field to give his team the 1-0 lead.
- Sophomore Jake Oglesby led off the next inning with a single to center but the next three batters were retired in order before a rally could begin.
- Cornell extended its lead to three after a three-hit inning in the fourth. After the leadoff man reached on an error, the Rams rattled off base hits in three of the next four at-bats before a fly out ended the inning.
- Trailing by three and needing three runs to tie, the Duhawks crafted a rally to put two runners on base, but a pop up and a strike out ended the game.
Game Two
- Both sides shot blanks for the first seven innings as junior Robert Hovey worked his magic on the mound for Loras.
- Hovey limited Cornell to one hit over the first seven innings waiting for his offense to pick him up.
- The Duhawks had runners in scoring position five times before breaking through and scoring their first run off a single to left field by Oglesby to score Heiser from second.
- Junior Ryan Koester added what would turn out to be a crucial insurance run with his third home run of the season and 12th of his career, blasting a one-out solo shot to left field.
- Hovey lost his shutout bid after a one-out double but settled down to strand the tying run on third and earn his fifth win of the season while improving to 7-0 in his career.
FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Jake Oglesby | The Dubuque native recorded his seventh multiple-hit game of the season and his third three-hit game. Oglesby elevated his team-leading batting average to .378.
Robert Hovey | In his first career complete game, Hovey earned his team-best fifth win and lowered his team-leading ERA to 3.26.
NOTABLES
- Sophomore Austin Konagel has reached base safely in 15 consecutive games, one shy of the team high this season
- Senior Luke Leibforth extended his hitting streak to eight games
- With his home run in game two, Koester recorded his 50th career RBI
- Senior Nolan Ritter made his 100th career start in game one
UP NEXT
Loras returns to Petrakis Park for a weekend series against Central on April 21 and 22. The Dutch are 13-12 this season with a 5-4 mark in conference play. Before the two sides meet, Central will have played four more games, traveling to Storm Lake this weekend to face Buena Vista before visiting Nebraska Wesleyan on the road. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
