SPRING ARBOR, Mich. - The bats came alive late during a weekday thumping of Spring Arbor on the road to the tune of 19-7 in eight innings. The Panthers have won nine straight getting hot at the right time with two big WHAC road three-game series at Cornerstone and Concordia to end the regular season. Davenport improved to 33-13 overall while Spring Arbor dips to 19-27.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The game was plugging along and was a tight affair heading into the top of the seventh. The Cougars scored four times in the bottom of the sixth to take a 7-5 lead against reliable reliever
Jonathan Cheshire. Davenport then scored 10 runs in the seventh and added four more runs in the eighth to run-rule Spring Arbor in the blink of an eye.
In the seventh, DU collected eight hits including five doubles against Gavin Harris and Drew Weston.
Anthony DiPonio had the first double of the inning after a
Brandon Larkin-Guilfoyle single.
Jeremy Vasquez had a sacrifice fly to score Larkin-Guilfoyle and then
Matt Hoge drew a walk. Both runners stole a base and then
Austin Petravicius doubled down the left field line to give DU an 8-7 lead.
Jake Bozzo pinch hit for
Aaron Fadden against new pitcher Harris and greeted him with a double to right center to plate Petravicius.
Andrew Figueroa a few batters later entered as a pinch hitter with the bases loaded and delivered a two-run double down the left field line. DiPonio's second at-bat of the inning was another two-bagger but this time came with two RBI.
Elijah Brook came into pitch and with two outs it was Hoge's turn to drive in a pair with a single to center and a 15-7 advantage. In the eighth, Bozzo doubled to start the inning and then
Brian Sobieski doubled him home.
Jimmy Filipski pinch hit for
Cameron Bair and hit a two-run shot to right for his second of the season. Larkin-Guilfoyle went back-to-back with a homer to right for his 10th of the season. It was the second time DU hit consecutive homers this season.
Cheshire improved to 7-3 with his sixth straight win after starting 1-3. He went 4.2 innings and allowed four hits and four earned runs with five strikeouts.
Caleb Leach closed it out in two innings and allowed no hits with four strikeouts.
Pete Zeimis got the start lasting 1.1 innings and allowing four hits and three earned runs.
INSIDE THE BOX
Petravicius (1-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI)
Sobieski (3-for-4, 3 R, RBI)
Larkin-Guilfoyle (3-for-5, 4 R, RBI)
DiPonio (3-for-3, 2 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI, SB)
Hoge (2-for-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 SB)
