DUBUQUE, Iowa –
Carson Hammer's 10 strikeouts and
Vince Polizzi's 7-for-9 day helped the Duhawks snag game two of the doubleheader versus the Prairie Wolves, 6-2, after falling in game one 12-10.
GAME ONE
Loras (11-13, 5-6 A-R-C) secured a run right out of the gates, with
Colin Kissane sending a liner to center field and scoring
Jackson Cullen.
Nebraska Wesleyan University (8-19, 3-8 A-R-C) pulled ahead in the third inning, taking advantage of a Duhawk pitching staff that struggled mightily to find the strike zone early in the game.
Eight free passes allowed the Prairie Wolves to create some significant distance between themselves and the Purple and Gold, yet Loras would not back down without a fight.
Jake Zeal and Polizzi pulled it closer in the fifth with a single and a double, but in the ensuring sixth and seventh innings, the Prairie Wolves brought the game to the brink.
With a nine-run deficit the climb began for the Duhawks.
Isiah Rose,
Ben Shea, and
Alex Sandoval all found ways to contribute, and with the continued dominance of Polizzi and Kissane, the Purple and Gold had brought it back to a two-run contest.
Yet, in the ninth, Loras didn't create any steam, and they'd drop their third game at Petrakis Park.
GAME TWO
That wouldn't last very long though.
A trio of long balls is what did it for the Duhawks in this one, and it began with Shea in the second.
His solo shot set the tone, and the aforementioned
Vince Polizzi was on the same wavelength.
He'd hit a pair of two run bombs, one of which ran up the tree line in deep left field, and the game was fully broken open after the fifth.
Along with this, Hammer was dishing out strikes like hot cakes, with the sophomore setting a new career high in strikeouts while staving of the Prairie Wolves.
A late push from Nebraska Wesleyan was quickly extinguished, and the Purple and Gold got back on track.
On Deck: Loras has another important game three on their hands, with the rubber match set to take place at Petrakis Park Saturday, April 11 at 11:00 a.m.
