Baseball Comes Up Short in Rivalry Matchup
Apr 21, 2015
DUBUQUE, Iowa - The University of Dubuque baseball team's five-run rally in the final inning of game one fell short, 9-7, and the Spartans 1-for-8 effort with the bases loaded came back to haunt them in 7-6 loss to Loras on Tuesday afternoon.
Game One
Spartans fall 9-7
BOX SCORE
Both teams sent their aces to the mound in game one as they managed to hold their own until the final two innings.
The Spartans Josh Eastman came in hot after allowing just one earned run in his last 24 innings of work over three starts. Loras' Adam Schwoebel had won six of his seven starts and had surrendered three runs or fewer in each win. One would have expected a pitcher's dual from the outset.
Not quite.
Eastman held the Duhawk bats in check and surrendered just one unearned run and two hits through the first five innings. Loras' (17-14, 11-9 Iowa Conference) bats came alive in the sixth inning to the tune of eight runs on seven hits to move their lead to 9-2 with one inning to go.
Eastman (2-6) took the loss after giving up nine hits and seven earned runs in 5.2 innings of work.
Seven of the Duhawks eight runs came with two outs as they finished the game 6 of 11 with eight RBIs in two-out situations.
The Spartans (11-21, 6-14 Iowa Conference) mounted a five-run rally as the inning began and ended with a strikeout. First basemen Austin McWhite led off and reached on a dropped third strike. It set up CF Daniel Casanova's two-RBI single that sparked the scoring. Three of the final Spartan runs came via a pair of errors and were unearned.
Casanova paced the Spartans at the dish with a 2-for-3 performance that included two runs scored and two RBIs.
Game Two
BOX SCORE
Spartans Fall 7-6
It was a game of missed opportunities for the Spartan offense as they dropped their fourth straight game to the pesky Duhawks.
Despite six runs, the UD bats left plenty out there after finishing the game 1-for-8 with the bases loaded. The Spartans stranded nine total and hit 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Loras struggled to bring runners around but countered UD with a 6-for-15 showing with runners in scoring position.
Once again, both starters pitched effectively after UD's Trent Van Egtern (2-4) and Loras' Will Petrosky (2-4) battled to a 1-0 Spartan lead through the first four innings.
Loras turned it on after scoring seven runs over the next three innings to take the lead, 7-4, after seven. The Duhawks adventurous four-run, sixth featured four singles, including three of them to leadoff the inning, a hit batter, a walk, and an out via batter interference.
UD stayed in it with a three-run, sixth-inning that included the first home run of the season at the UD baseball field by 1B Dalton Garst. Two runs in the bottom of the eighth thanks to Casanova's two-RBI single concluded the scoring for UD as they fell short, 7-6.
Garst paced the Spartans in a 3-for-5 showing that included one run scored and one RBI thanks to his home run. Casanova also added a run scored and a pair of RBIs as well.
Van Egtern suffered the loss after giving up eight hits and six earned runs in 5.1 innings of work.
UD dropped to 45-62 all-time to Loras and have lost five straight in the series dating back to last year.
The Spartans host Coe (22-11, 14-10 Iowa Conference) in their final four-game series at home this Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25 starting at 1:00 p.m. each day. Coe split with Buena Vista on the road in April 21st doubleheader.
