HAMMOND, Ind. - The Davenport offense was in full force on Saturday in a doubleheader sweep at Purdue Northwest to take the weekend series three games to one. DU won 11-2 in game one and followed that with a 15-4 win in game two. The Panthers finished the series with three straight double-digit scoring efforts.

GAME ONE
The Panthers took a couple of innings to solve Joe Buikema but when they did the runs came in bunches. Buikema and DU's Isaac Van Dyke dueled for the first three innings and Van Dyke flinched first as Ray Hilbrich hit a solo homer to right in the fourth inning. The Panthers stepped on the gas in the fifth with six runs. Gaetano Vallone ripped a RBI single to start the scoring. Ben Mets then had the game-changing hit with a three-run home run down the left field line for a 4-1 lead. Tyler Mosher got a long ball of his own, a two-run blast to left, for a 6-1 lead.

Hilbrich added another solo home run in his next at-bat in the fifth to make it 6-2. Vallone got that run right back in the sixth with a RBI double to left center. Mets drove in yet another run with a RBI single up the middle and the lead grew to 8-2.

Coltrane Rubner ended the scoring in style with a three-run home run to right in the seventh. Hilbrich finished 4-for-4 with his two home runs, a double, and two runs scored for the Pride. Van Dyke got the win (4-1) in four innings of work and allowed just one earned run with one walk and four strikeouts. Cade Kontny had three solid relief innings and allowed just one run with no walks and four strikeouts. Mets finished 3-for-5 with four RBI. Vallone finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored, two RBI, and two walks.

GAME TWO
The win in the nightcap improved DU's record to 17-20 overall and 11-6 in the GLIAC. They moved into second place outright in the GLIAC after Grand Valley State and Wayne State split four games this weekend in Allendale. 

The Panthers scored in each of the first five innings including a seven-run second inning which established an 8-0 lead. The lead increased to 11-0 in the third inning before the Pride got on the board. Michael Tchavdarov had one of the best individual games in school history going 5-for-5 to tie the school record for hits in a game. He batted ninth in the order and scored three times with a season-high four RBI. He had a two-run homer in the second inning and a two-RBI triple down the right field line in the fifth inning.

Vallone also mashed going 4-for-5 with three runs scored and four RBI. He homered in the first inning and then again in the second inning. He added a RBI single in the third inning and a RBI double to right in the fourth inning. Khale Showers added a two-run home run to left in the third inning. Showers finished 2-for-4 with a walk. Mets went 2-for-5 with a run and RBI. He has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games and has a RBI in five straight games.

On the mound, it was Tyler McKinstry making his first start of his career. He did well going four innings and allowing two runs with two walks and seven strikeouts. The Panther pitching staff would fan 15 batters to set a season high. Spencer Vainavicz tossed two innings after McKinstry and got the win (2-2). He allowed no hits and recorded all six of his outs via the strikeout.

Up next for Davenport will be a home series against Parkside. It begins this Friday, April 21 with a single nine-inning game followed by a doubleheader on Saturday and another single nine-inning game on Sunday to conclude the series. Read Full Article