DUBUQUE, Iowa –  Combining for 31 runs on 31 hits, the Loras College baseball team dropped its regular season finale, 16-15, to Central College on Saturday afternoon at Petrakis Park in a game that showed now shortage off offense.

With the loss, the Duhawks (23-16 overall, 12-11 American Rivers) fall to fifth in the conference standings, meaning that they will head into the 2024 American Rivers Conference Baseball Tournament as the fifth seed.

As each of yesterday's games started, Central (16-23, 10-14) was first on the scoreboard as the Dutch jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning off a two-run home run. The Duhawks responded with a run scored in the bottom half of the inning after Trevor Segraves' groundout into a double play allowed for Vince Polizzi to cross home plate.

Central extended its lead in the third inning to 5-1 after another two-run homer followed with an RBI double.

The Purple and Gold would go on a tear in the third inning, scoring six-straight runs to take its first lead of the game. The inning was kicked off by DiBenedetto scoring on a wild pitch, followed by an RBI single from Cody Sunny. Alex Sandoval then connected on a two-RBI double to left center, scoring Sunny and Jackson Cullen to knot things up at five. Back-to-back RBIs from Jake Olszewski and Max McCallum rounded out the inning's run fest, giving the Duhawks the 7-5 advantage.

Loras added to the lead in the fifth inning when McCallum made contact and reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Sandoval to make it an 8-5 game.

The Dutch responded in the sixth inning with four runs to go back in front, 9-8.

Daniel Rogers, playing his final game at Petrakis Park, launched a solo homer in the sixth inning to kick start a five-run inning for the Duhawks. Following Rogers' home run, Cullen reached on a single to short before Sunny got on base via a walk. With two men on and one out, Polizzi singled up the middle to score Cullen.

Sandoval, who was red-hot throughout the series, then connected on a three-run home run to give Loras a 13-9 advantage.

Each side pitched clean seventh and eighth innings, setting up the game to be decided in the ninth.

Facing a four-run deficit, Central went on to connect on four ninth inning home runs, giving the Dutch a 16-13 lead. Rogers hit a second solo home run and Sunny picked up another RBI in the bottom half of the inning, but it wasn't enough as the Duhawks fell just shy of a walk-off victory.  

Sandoval closed out the game 4-of-5 at the plate with five RBIs and four runs scored. Rogers was 3-of-6 with his two RBIs and three runs scored, while Sunny finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs.

Vincent Costantino started on the mound and struck out five. Adam Williamson and Aiden O'Hara each picked up two strikeouts in limited action.
 
UP NEXT
Loras will now prep for the A-R-C Tournament, which is slated to begin Thursday, May 9 in Cedar Rapids. The Duhawks will play the third seed at 11 a.m. on Thursday at Mount Mercy University. The winner of that game will head to Veteran's Memorial Stadium to face the tournament's second seed at 5 p.m.  the same day. The losing team of that first match up will stay at Mount Mercy and face off with the loser of the second game – the No. 4 & 5 seed showdown- at 3 p.m.