DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Loras baseball team (15-7 overall, 4-2 American Rivers) recorded a doubleheader sweep of Nebraska Wesleyan University (8-15, 1-8) on a rainy Sunday afternoon, outlasting the Prairie Wolves 7-5 in an offensive showcase to begin the day before posting a 9-1 win in the finale at Dan W. Runkle Baseball Field on the campus of the University of Dubuque.
A two-hit, two-RBI performance from senior first baseman
Daniel Rogers helped push the Duhawks to a win in game one. Errors played a big factor in NWU's demise as four errors and two wild pitches led to three runs for Loras.
Nick DiBenedetto picked up his third win of the season after pitching five innings, striking out one.
Will Moonan recorded his first career save, throwing two scoreless frames and striking out one.
Nebraska Wesleyan got on the board in the first inning of the first game with an RBI single. The Purple and Gold responded with four runs, kicked off by Rogers' two-RBI triple. A fielder's choice by
Jackson Cullen would score Rogers from third before an error by a NWU infielder scored DiBenedetto, who reached base after being hit by a pitch.
The Duhawks tacked on two more runs in the third inning, first when Cullen recorded his second RBI off a fielder's choice and again when a wild pitch scored DiBenedetto.
The Prairie Wolves added a run at the top of the fourth to get within four (6-2), but the Duhawks were able to add an insurance run at the bottom half of the inning off another error by NWU's third baseman.
Nebraska Wesleyan scored three runs in the fifth, but Moonan was able to keep the Prairie Wolves off the scoreboard the rest of the way en route to Loras' win.
Game two saw the Duhawks record 13 hits, led by McCallum and Sunny at three apiece. Sunny recorded three RBIs to lead the team, with Rogers and
Vince McDowell next at two RBIs each.
Vincent Costantino pitched an excellent game, picking up his first win of his career after throwing seven innings and striking out five – marks that each stand as career-bests for the freshman out of Algonquin, Ill.
The Duhawks grabbed a first inning lead in the second game by capitalizing on a single and a stolen base by
Max McCallum followed by a single from DiBenedetto. Sunny's single down the right field line brought home McCallum to give the Duhawks the early advantage.
Sunny jumpstarted the offense yet again in the third inning after connecting on an RBI single to right field.
Vince Polizzi, coming off a nine RBI performance against Luther College on Friday, picked up his 10th RBI of the weekend after connecting on a double to right field to put Loras up 3-0.
Alex Sandoval (two RBIs) and McDowell (one RBI) closed out the inning with back-to-back RBI singles to put the Duhawks up 6-0.
Nebraska Wesleyan responded with a run in the fifth off an RBI single, but Loras slammed the door shut with a two-RBI single from Rogers and RBI single from Sunny in the sixth inning to win it, 9-1.
UP NEXT
The Duhawks return to action on Tuesday when the program hosts its cross town rival in the University of Dubuque at Petrakis Park. Doubleheader action gets underway at 3:30 p.m.
