McWhite's Three Home Runs Carry Baseball to Good Friday Sweep
Apr 4, 2015
DUBUQUE, Iowa - First basemen Austin McWhite belted three home runs and drove in seven RBIs as the University of Dubuque men's baseball team downed Central, 3-1 and 14-6, on Good Friday.
Game One
UD wins 3-1
BOX SCORE
McWhite was stellar at the plate after belting a solo home run in support of a stellar outing by Trent Van Egtern.
Van Egtern (2-2) was solid through seven innings after giving up six hits and striking out four in his best start of the season. The La Crosse, Wis. native got into a bit of trouble early after surrendering a pair of singles in the first inning, but struck out the next two Dutch to escape the inning unscathed. Van Egtern kept the Central hitters on edge throughout and didn't surrender his first run until the top of the seventh.
Backing him up at the dish was white hot McWhite and LF Trace Florek who each tallied one RBI. CF Daniel Casanova, 3B Dalton Garst, and DH Michael Salazar added one double a piece as four of the Spartans seven total hits fell for extra bases.
The Spartans (7-12, 2-5 Iowa Conference) got things going in the second after RF Matt Hogan scored on a passed ball after reaching on a walk. UD would assume the 3-0 lead over the Dutch (7-11, 3-4 Iowa Conference) thanks to McWhite's solo home run and Florek's RBI-single.
Central's RBI-double in the bottom of the seventh concluded the scoring as the Dutch flew out to end the game.
Dutch starter Dylan Diveney (1-3) took the loss after giving up five hits and three runs (two earned) in 6.0 innings on the bump.
Game Two
UD wins 14-6
BOX SCORE
McWhite followed up his solo home run and finished 3-for-5 with two runs, a double, and two long balls in game two rout. The Orlando, Fla. product grounded out in his first at-bat, but was unstoppable the rest of the game.
He helped the Spartans (8-12, 3-5 Iowa Conference) break a 1-1 tie in the top of the fourth inning with a two-run bomb following Garst's leadoff single.
The Dutch posted three runs in the bottom of the fourth to steal the lead, 4-3, but McWhite and the Spartan offense countered in the top of the fifth. A leadoff error and another Garst singled aided McWhite's three-run homer to put the Spartans up 8-4 on the Dutch (7-12, 3-5 Iowa Conference).
With the Spartans leading 10-6, the Dutch weren't about to take any chances as they intentionally walked McWhite in a four-run eighth inning for UD.
Garst finished 3 of 5 with three runs, while 2B Gaetano Florio came off the bench to supply two hits and three runs as well.
Six of UD's 12 hits went for extra bases with McWhite collecting three of those.
UD starter Doug Van Dyke (1-1) tossed a solid 5.0 innings after giving up nine hits, four runs (one earned), and striking out six.
The Spartans improved to 46-69 in the overall series vs. Central and have won five of the last six meetings.
UD will face the Dutch in another doubleheader starting tomorrow, April 4 at 1:00 p.m.
