Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
KENTWOOD, Mich. – Matt Collins and his team made school and conference history today as the senior helped DU to a convincing sweep of rival Aquinas College 11-1 and 12-2 both in 5 innings. Collins finished the sweep with a 3-HR, 9-RBI performance as the Panthers connected on 10 homeruns in the two games.
Game one started out on the wrong foot for DU as the Saints jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead as Aquinas got a solo shot in the top of the first off DU starter Brandon Romero (Hart, Mich.). That fortunately would be the only offense for the Saints for the remainder of the game as Romero dominated for the next four innings.
The second inning was where DU's bats came alive as they tagged the AQ starter for five runs and followed with two more in the 3rd and one in the 4th.
Matt McNeil (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) evened the score with a line-drive homerun to right field and then Travis Laver (Holland, Mich.) hit the first ever grand slam in DU baseball history to complete the scoring. Austin Licon and Dan Brown (Bay City, Mich.) continued the homerun parade in the third inning as each hit solo shots to put the Panthers up 7-1.
After a James Folske (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.) run in the bottom of the 4th and a Bryan Spykerman (Anaheim, Calif.) solo homerun to start the 5th, DU finished off the Saints in a 5-inning mercy when Joe Hill (Tecumseh, Mich.) hit a pinch-hit walk off 2-run homerun that scored Zach Snoeyink (Hudsonville, Mich.) on the play.
Brandon Romero improved his overall record to 8-2 on the year as he finished with just four hits allowed, zero walks and six strikeouts.
Game two was almost a carbon copy of the first game with the exception that one single player for Davenport accounted for nine of the 12 runs in a 12-2 mercy in five innings. Matt Collins (Akron, Ohio) hit three homeruns and recorded a school record nine RBI in the win.
The three homeruns and 9-RBI ties Matt with the most in the WHAC since 2006 and sets new school records in each category.
Collins' first of three long balls came in the top of the first inning when he brought home Travis Laver who reached on a one out single. The senior then hit his second of the game (and second 2-run shot) in the bottom of the second that again scored Laver to put the Panthers on tip 5-1.
Davenport put significant distance between them and the Saints in the bottom of the 4th when they brought home six more runs. Matt delivered his knockout punch with a one-out grand slam to right center. It marked the second grand slam of the day for the Panthers as Laver hit the first in school history in game one.
Needing just one more run to complete the 2-game mercy, Collins came to bat in the bottom of the fifth with two runners on and hit a line drive single to left center that scored Joe Hill from second base for the 12-2 win.
Andy Westerburg (Spring Lake, Mich.) was just as dominating on the mound for DU as Romero was in the first game as the sophomore finished with a complete game 4-hitter while collecting five strikeouts. The win lifted his season record to 4-2.
Davenport (20-24, 8-10 WHAC) and Aquinas will meet again on Saturday at Kimble Stadium in Wyoming, MI. The first pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 1:00 PM. The Panthers still need to win both games to secure their spot in the WHAC Tourney.
