DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - An 11th inning walkoff win in game two of the weekend series failed to carry over for the Loras baseball team on Saturday, as the Duhawks split the doubleheader and dropped the weekend series to the Dutch, winning 7-6 in in the opener and 13-10 in the finale. Senior
Nolan Ritter combined to go 5-for-8 at the plate and scored three runs on the day.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Game One
- With neither team showing much for offense to start, senior Luke Leibforth gave Loras the lead in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly to right field that allowed Ritter to score from third.Â
- A fielding error by sophomore Austin Konagel opened the door for Central, who capitalized with a pair of unearned runs to take a 2-1 lead.
- Junior Michael Muto drove a 3-2 pitch to right field and reached base on an error. He later came around to score on a wild pitch to tie the game at 2-all in the fifth.
- The Dutch took control in the top of the seventh and crafted a three-run, four-hit rally, with two of the four hits going for extra bases.Â
- In the home half of the fifth, the Duhawks loaded the bases after three consecutive free passes. A Central throwing error proved to be costly as Loras erupted for four runs, with the lone hit being an RBI single by junior Danny Weis.
- When the dust settled, the Duhawks took a 6-5 lead into the final two innings.
- With two outs in the eighth, a Loras throwing error brought home the tying run for the Dutch.
- Despite multiple chances for both sides, it wasn't until the home half of the 11th that the Duhawks strung together three consecutive hits, highlighted by Leibforth's RBI single to center field to plate the winning run in Ritter.
Game Two
- The Dutch started off game two by pounding out four hits that resulted in four runs and sent eight batters to the plate.
- Loras responded in the bottom half of the inning after sophomore Danny Paluch knocked in Leibforth, who had singled earlier in the inning.
- Senior Tony Heiser led off the bottom of the third with a single to left center, igniting the Duhawk offense. Loras went on to plate five runs on five hits, highlighted by Paluch's two-RBI single that scored Leibforth and Weis.
- Central took advantage of three errors in the top of the third, resulting in three unearned runs.
- Trailing by three in the bottom of the third, Ritter singled to right field, which would have loaded the bases if it were not for an errant throw by the Dutch right fielder that allowed junior Ryan Koester to score.Â
- Freshman Sean Conneely came into relief junior Robert Hovey in the top of the fifth after he tossed four innings allowing four earned runs.
- Senior Tony Heiser laced a one-out triple to right center off the base of the wall and after a walk to Koester, Muto lifted a fly ball to right field that scored Heiser and cut Central's lead to one at 9-8.
- Central blew the game wide open in the top half of the seventh, scoring four runs on four hits and one error.
- Looking for spark, head coach Carl Tebon turned to his bench for a spark and brought the game to within three after a pair of walks with the bases loaded.
- Representing the tying run, sophomore Jake Oglesby made solid contact on a 1-2 pitch but flew out to left center to end the game.
NOTABLES
- Junior Nolan Even made his first career appearance for the Duhawks in game two
- Leibforth collected his first career walk-off hit in game one
- After splitting on the afternoon, the Duhawks sit at 5-10 in Iowa Conference action with nine games remaining
- Hovey took the first loss of his collegiate career moving him to 5-1 on the year
- In game two, Muto threw out two runners for the first time in his career
- For the second time this season and in his career, Paluch recorded three RBIs in a single game
- With nine games remaining, Ritter needs five hits to eclipse the century mark
FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Luke Leibforth I The second baseman came up in the clutch in the bottom of the 11th by hitting the walk-off single to give his team the win. Leibforth also played solid defense throughout the duration of the game by not committing an error.Â
Michael Muto | The Wheaton North prep crafted a perfect day at the plate, going 2-for-2 while driving in two runs. Muto now has a team-high 20 RBIs this season.
UP NEXT
The Duhawks travel to Storm Lake on Tuesday, April 25 for a doubleheader against Buena Vista. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m in Storm Lake. The Beavers dropped all three games of its weekend series against Wartburg and are currently in fourth place in the IIAC standings.
