CALEDONIA, Mich. – In a non-conference, in-region doubleheader on Friday it was visiting Lewis making a statement that they are a player in the Midwest Region with a pair of wins over Davenport at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex. The Flyers used solid pitching, clutch hitting, and steady defense to claim a 4-2 win in game one and a 3-1 victory in game two. Both games would go extra innings as Lewis and Davenport needed 10 innings in game one and eight innings in game two.
Keegan Batka and Dylan Wolff staged a pitcher's duel in game one as they both put up similar numbers. Batka and Wolff would both get a no-decision as the bullpen was needed to decide this one. Batka and Wolff each tossed seven innings and allowed six hits. Batka gave up two earned runs with two walks and eight strikeouts. Wolff gave up one earned run with no walks and four strikeouts.
Chase Kemp had an infield single in the third inning and on the play the ball got away from Tyler Phommachanhom at shortstop to allow
Cody Hultink to score for a 1-1 tie.
Logan Todd gave DU a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning as he had a RBI single through the left side as Hultink scored his second run of the game. Lewis would tie it up at 2-2 in the sixth inning as Cain Headrick had a RBI single to score George Bilecki.
Brandon Skorupski and Collin Amsden each replaced the starters in the eighth inning. Amsden would throw two innings and get his first win of the season. He left after the ninth inning and yielded no hits and no runs with one strikeout. Skorupski had two clean innings, but then allowed two runs in the 10
th inning. Chris McDevitt scored on a passed ball off the glove of
Ivan Salinas and then Bilecki had a RBI single up the middle to add the insurance run. Skorupski is now 1-1 on the mound this season and finished with two-plus innings of two hits, two walks, and two strikeouts.
Mason Hill finished up the 10
th inning and allowed one hit with two strikeouts. Jackson Bruno threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the 10
th to earn his fourth save of the season.
Sam Clay had a double and was the only Panther with two hits.
Adam Berghorst and Luke Carlson also stepped up on the mound in game two. Berghorst retired the first 12 batters he faced before a Jason Krol single to lead off the fifth inning. Carlson gave up a run in the second inning without a hit. Hultink was hit by a pitch with one out and stole second.
Michael Tchavdarov grounded out to catcher McDevitt and Hultink scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead.
Lewis got a pair of hits in the fifth off Berghorst but he stranded runners on second and third with one out. The bottom of the fifth was a big defensive play for Lewis as DU was looking to take a 2-0 lead. However,
Logan Todd flied to right field and Headrick came up firing to nail pinch runner
Wyatt Epple at the plate for the double play.
Lewis tied the game at 1-1 in the sixth but Berghorst again stranded two runners. Krol had a RBI single to right field with two outs. Carter Endisch came into pitch to start the sixth for Lewis and would get the win improving to 2-1. He tossed three innings and gave up no hits with a walk and strikeout. The game was scheduled for seven innings and went into extras.
Logan Todd had a fielding error to start the eighth for Lewis and it proved costly as two runs later would score. Bilecki had a sacrifice fly to take a 2-1 lead as Tyler Phommachanhom scored. Headrick later hit a rocket off the glove of Kemp at third base for a RBI single to score Kocen for a 3-1 lead.
Berghorst had the tough luck loss falling to 4-2 this season. He threw 7.2 innings and allowed one earned run on six hits with a walk and four strikeouts.
Aidan Arbaugh would come into the eighth and get the final out. The Panthers had just three hits in game two as
Darren Kraft got his first hit of the season as the starting designated hitter and Kemp also went 1-for-3. Hultink reached base twice and stole two bases.
These two teams will now change venues for Sunday, Apr. 6 as they will play two more games in Romeoville, Ill. beginning at 1 pm eastern time at Brennan Field.
