Contact: Nathan Cameron, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications, 563-588-7243

Mar. 28, 2021 - After inclement weather pushed back the originally scheduled doubleheader a day, the Loras College baseball team (8-4, 5-3) welcomed the Buena Vista Beavers (8-5, 6-2 A-R-C) back to Petrakis Park on Sunday, seeking vengeance after being edged on Friday, Mar. 26 to open the series. Sophomore pitcher Matt Jeter put on a show on the bump for the Duhawks in game one, pitching a complete game and allowing only one run on seven hits with two strikeouts in 7.0 innings pitched to improve to 2-0 with the win. 

After a three-up, three-down top of the first inning, the Duhawks put their foot on the gas pedal in the bottom half of the inning with Joe Egan leading off the inning with a single up the middle and going on to steal second to put a runner in scoring position. After a ground out from Dakota Church, Luke Fennelly stepped up to the plate and hit a single through the right side of the infield, scoring Egan from second. With Fennelly on first and one out in the inning, Max Cullen was due up and lined a single to center field to put runners on the corner for Dylan Pardoe, who went on to load the bases after drawing a walk. Daniel Rogers followed with a single to second base that scored Fennelly from third and kept bases loaded for Ryan Wohlers. Wohlers hit a hard grounder to the third baseman who struggled to field the ball, seeing Wohlers reach on an error and score Cullen for the Duhawks third run of the inning and Bill Luzzo due up next. Luzzo found the gap in left center field to clear the bases and extend the lead to 6-0 after just one inning. 

The top of the second inning saw the Duhawks defense keep the Beavers in check with another scoreless inning to bring Church back to the plate for Loras in the bottom half of the inning. Church hit a lead off ground out to the shortstop to bring Fennelly to the plate who hit a solo shot over the right field fence to take the score to 7-0 in favor of the Duhawks. 

Jeter made quick work of the Beavers in the top of the third inning, seeing Wohlers lead off the side for the Duhawks with a single through the left side gap of the infield for Luzzo, who advanced Wohlers to third on a single to right center. Alex Kelsch followed suit and did the same, scoring Wohlers from third and advancing Luzzo to third on a single to right center. With one out in the inning and runners on first and third, Church hit a deep fly ball that was caught in right center to score Luzzo from third on the sacrifice fly and hold Kelsch at first. With Fennelly at the plate, Kelsch stole second to move into scoring position. Fennelly drew a walk and advanced to second with Kelsch also advancing to third on an error by the catcher on the fourth ball of the at-bat. With two runners in scoring position, Cullen reached based on a third baseman error that scored the third run of the inning with Kelsch scoring on the error to bring the score to 10-0. 

After a quiet fourth inning, Buena Vista avoided the ten-run rule in the fifth inning by scoring their first run of the game in the top half of the inning on an RBI double down the right field line to take the score to 10-1 where it stayed through the remainder of the game. 

Luzzo led the attack offensively for Loras with a 3-3 performance at the plate with three RBIs and a double in the game. Pardoe added a double of his own, going 1-3 on the day while Fennelly posted the only homerun in the game and went 2-3 with two RBIs. 

Jeter dished on the mound for the Duhawks, throwing a complete 7.0 innings with two strikeouts, allowing only one run on seven hits. 

Game two of the afternoon saw the Duhawks pick up where they left off with a quick three-up, three-down top of the first inning, to bring Egan to the plate in the bottom half of the inning. Egan lined a single through the right side to put a runner on the path for Church. With Church at the plate, Egan stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error from the catcher. Church drove in Egan from third on an RBI single up the middle into center field to give the Duhawks an immediate 1-0 lead. 

Buena Vista responded in the top of the second inning, putting two runs up on the board on an RBI sacrified fly and a homerun from Ryley McGregor.

The score remained unchanged through the next four innings as the two American Rivers Conference foes battled it out on defense before the Beavers added another two to their score on an RBI double to the gap in right center and an RBI single to right field to bring the score to 4-1. In the bottom of the inning, Loras cut the lead to 4-2 on an RBI sacrifice fly from Church that scored Wohlers from third after he reached base on an infield error but the Beavers pulled out the win after a highly contested eighth and ninth innings. 

Church drove in both runs for the Duhawks in game two, going 1-3 in the game. Egan and Kelsch each posted two hits in the game for the Duhawks. 

Marshall Rice made the start on the mound for Loras, allowing four runs on six hits with five strikeouts in 6.1 innings pitched before Ethan Peters was called in at relief. Peters went off, throwing 2.2 innings and striking out four of the nine batters he faced. 

The Duhawks are scheduled to face the Simpson College Storm on Thursday, Apr. 1 in an American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) doublehader. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 PM in Indianola, Iowa.