FORT MYERS, Florida – The Heidelberg University Baseball team opened up their trip down to the Sunshine State with a pair of wins. In game one, HU powered past Rockford University, 9-3. Two runs in the eighth lifted the Student Princes past Alvernia University in a back-and-forth game, 7-6.
HEIDELBERG 9 ROCKFORD 3
Caplan got the nod in game one, going five innings and giving up three runs on seven hits.
Vincent Marimpietri added three innings of relief work, only giving up one hit.
Dylan Matusak threw the final inning, surrendering no hits.
With runners on first and second and two outs,
Reece McNeely cleared the bases with a triple to deep left center to score two runs. Sophomore
Braedy Limke followed with a single, scoring McNeely. HU led 3-0 after two innings.
After giving up back-to-back hits to Rockford in the bottom of the second, Caplan only surrendered one run, pitching his way out of the jam.
An
Adam McVicker walk followed by an
Andrew Pokley fielder's choice got Heidelberg early runners on with no outs.
Cort Kramer followed with a bloop single to left center, loading the bases.
Kyle Krummen took one for the team, wearing a pitch that forced in a run for the Student Princes. A passed ball off a Rockford wild pitch plated another.. HU led 5-1 after three.
The Regents were able to add two runs in third, cutting into the Heidelberg lead down to 5-3.
After an
Aidan Corrigan single up the middle,
Camden Farley tallied his second home run of the season, hitting a bomb to left center field.
Thomas Sauer added a one-out solo home run to stretch the HU lead.
HU added an insurance run in top of the sixth thanks to a Rockford error, ending the inning with the 9-3 advantage. Neither team was able to secure another run as the bullpens controlled the final frames
Farley had two hits with a home run while Kramer also had two hits.
HEIDELBERG 7 ALVERNIA 6
The Student Princes took the early 1-0 lead thanks to a bases-loaded walk from the Golden Wolves pitcher. HU added another in the top half of the second adding to the lead.
After two scoreless innings, Corrigan led off the top of the fifth with a single to the right side. McVicker and Sauer both got walked, loading the bases with no outs.
Andrew Pokley laced a single up the middle giving way for two runners to score.
Heidelberg stranded two runners in the inning, but not before stretching their lead to 4-1. Alvernia was able to tack on a run in the bottom half of the inning.
A two-out Sauer bloop single to right field allowed Heidelberg to add an insurance run in the top of the sixth making the score 5-2. The Golden Wolves added a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning, closing the HU lead to just one.
The bottom of the seventh saw Heidelberg's lead disappear after Alvernia was able to add two runs to take the 6-5 lead.
The deficit did not last long. RBI singles from Limke and McVicker single allowed the Student Princes to take back the lead, 7-6.
Corey Brafford came in the game and pitched two huge innings for HU to help seal the 7-6 victory.
Jackson Power made the start and went five innings only allowing two hits and fanning a season-high eight in the process.
Justin Wilkins and
Payton Moser tallied 1.1 innings combined with Brafford closing out the game.
The team will be back in action tomorrow as they take on Misericordia at 12 p.m.
