CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Just two outs is all the Duhawks needed to stun the Kohawks late in game one of their three game series. However, Coe showed their toughness and rallied to beat the Purple and Gold in walk-off fashion, 11-8.
Loras knew it would be a tall task facing off against the No.18 ranked Kohawks, and early on, Coe College (26-7, 16-3 A-R-C) showed their might.
The first run came around in the third inning, and it belonged to Coe as they took advantage of a Duhawk error, which allowed them to hit an RBI single and collect a 1-0 lead. Then, over the next two innings, the Kohawks would extend their lead up to 5-0.
The Purple and Gold were down, but displayed a lot of grit, and started slowly crawling back into the game. In the sixth,
Max McCallum reached on an error and was hit over to third on a single from junior outfielder
Jackson Cullen. It was only the second time the Duhawks had a runner in scoring position, and while the first time they were unable to take advantage, this time was different.
With two outs, and bases loaded, senior outfielder
John Cornelius slapped a single through the left side of the infield and scored both McCallum and Cullen, trimming the deficit down to three.
While Coe answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the sixth, the seventh inning was all Loras (16-19, 6-13). It began with a moonshot homer off the bat of
Alex Sandoval forcing a Kohawk pitching change. Then, the trio of McCallum, Cullen, and
Trevor Segraves loaded the bases for the Duhawks, which set up
Cody Sunny to try and play some hero ball. And while it wasn't the result he had dreamed of, it did the job. Sunny hit a ground ball up the middle that was botched, scoring a run and moving the Purple and Gold up a station with still nobody out.
A pair of sacrifice flies from
Vince Polizzi and
Justin Gutierrez scored two more, and suddenly, Loras tied it up.
Casey Kedzierski was called upon to keep it close, and while he gave up a run in the bottom of the seventh, he kept the Kohawks off the base paths as best he could.
The top of the eighth started with a bang, as sophomore
Jake Olszewski smacked a double off the center field wall. A batter later, and a Segraves single put runners on the corners with one out. Unfortunately, the Purple and Gold would strike out twice, and the Kohawks escaped the jam.
Kedzierski worked a clean inning in the bottom frame, which set up an all-or-nothing situation for the Duhawks. They needed one to keep going and now faced Coe's left-handed closer. The lefty-lefty matchup didn't bother the junior Sunny, as he poked a double into right field.
With the tying run on second and nobody out, Polizzi stood in. In a 1-1 count, he got a hanging breaking ball and didn't miss it, sending it way out of Bill Quinby Field. Loras had their first lead, 8-7, as the bottom of the ninth approached.
Dylan Ackermann got the crucial first out in one pitch, but then, everything unraveled. A walk, an error, and a single tied the game. Still with one out, the Kohawks launched a homerun into center field, dashing the Duhawks' game one hopes.
On Deck: Loras gets a shot at redemption tomorrow, April 26 against Coe College at Bill Quinby Field in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. First pitch of the doubleheader is at 1:00 p.m.
