CALEDONIA, Mich. - The Davenport baseball team is beginning to show some of the promise that they have started to turn around a slow start as the end of March comes to a close. The Panthers have been strong at home with a 4-1 record and that included a doubleheader sweep of Purdue Northwest on Friday. In a rematch of the 2022 GLIAC Tournament championship, DU improved to 19-2 all-time against the Pride in a pair of hotly contested games at Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex.

GAME ONE
Carson Fischer for the Panthers and Sam Shively for the Pride battled back-and-forth throughout the game and both went the distance on the mound. The Pride got to Fischer first as Luke Montgomery beat out an infield single with two outs on a close play at first and Jayden Smith scored for the 1-0 lead.

Davenport would then score the final five runs of the game for the 5-1 win. The Panthers broke through in the third inning as Gaetano Vallone laced a RBI triple down the right field line. He slid safely into third and the throw got away, which allowed him to score for a 2-1 lead.

Coltrane Rubner came through with a two-out, RBI single to center field in the fourth inning as Carter Troncin scored from second after he doubled to start the inning. Davenport was clinging to their two-run lead in the sixth inning when they got two insurance runs on Tyler Mosher's third home run of the season to left center.

Davenport managed six hits but five of those were for extra bases including three doubles, a triple, and a home run. Rubner had two hits in three at-bats including one of those doubles. Fischer improved to 3-4 on the mound this season and finished with five strikeouts.

GAME TWO
The nightcap was high intensity as neither team led by more than one run during the nine-inning affair. Once again, it was starting pitching that led the way. Isaac Van Dyke for the Panthers and Conor Pangburn for the Pride had solid outings. Both lasted into the sixth inning and the Panthers were able to pull out a 3-2 win.

Mosher drove in the first run in the second inning with an opposite field double to left center to score Logan Hylek. Van Dyke was cruising through four innings but ran into some trouble in the fifth inning. The Pride took a 2-1 lead as Owen Winters had a RBI double and Montgomery delivered a RBI single. 

Davenport quickly regained the lead in the bottom half of the fifth. Ben Mets singled with two outs and then Khale Showers had the clutch hit with a two-run home run to left, which was his fourth long ball of the season. Van Dyke was back out for the sixth inning but loaded the bases on two singles and a walk. He was lifted for Alex Lord and he came through to end the inning as Winters grounded into a fielder's choice.

Sam Carlisle came on to pitch for Purdue Northwest with one on and one out in the bottom of the sixth. He had a great outing in 2.2 innings and allowed no runs with no walks and two strikeouts. Meanwhile, DU was leaning on their bullpen as well and Spencer Vainavicz and Logan Bursick-Harrington did their job to preserve the victory.

Vainavicz had a 1-2-3 seventh inning but allowed a single and walk to start the eighth. He buckled down to get a pop-up on a sacrifice bunt attempt for the first out and struck out the next two batters in end the threat. DU had a pair of singles in the eighth but could not increased their lead like they did in game one. Bursick-Harrington was overpowering the Pride bats as he struck out the side mixed in with a two-out walk to earn his second save of the season.

Van Dyke improved to 2-1 on the season as the Panthers struck out 10 batters. Pangburn took the loss falling to 0-3. Mets and Troncin each had two hits for Davenport.

The Panthers (10-17, 4-3 GLIAC) will host Saginaw Valley State on Sunday at noon in a doubleheader which will begin a six-game series against the Cardinals.