SCORES: Transylvania 11, Earlham 2
LOCATION: Lexington, Kentucky – Kentucky Proud Park
RECORDS: Earlham 25-20 / Transylvania 31-10

LEXINGTON, Kentucky – Earlham College Baseball's marvelous run in the 2021 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament fell just shy of its goal in an 11-2 championship game loss to Transylvania University, Saturday afternoon at Kentucky Proud Park.

The Quakers finished their 2021 campaign as the HCAC Tournament Runners-Up with a 25-20 record.

Junior Joey Gerbus and senior Marc Gendreau were Earlham's two representatives to the 2021 HCAC All-Tournament Team.

Danny Dopp got Earlham on the scoreboard in the first inning with a solo home run to left field. Transylvania answered in the home half of the frame when Trent Youngblood reached on a single up the middle and scored on Hudson Chastain's double down the left field line.

Transy took the lead in the bottom of the third with two runs. Riley Willbur singled home Wade Lopiccolo to put the Pioneers up 2-1, and Michael Blair's fly ball to center field allowed Hudson Chastain to cross for a 3-1 Transy lead. A fielder's choice grounder and a double down the third base line allowed two more Pioneer runs to score, and Transy had a 5-1 lead after three innings.

The Pioneers added four more runs in the top of the fifth on five hits, including a two-run single into right-center by Youngblood, to extend their lead to 9-1.

The Quakers pushed a second run across in the top of the sixth. Isaiah Shake reached on fly ball to left field that tipped off the end of the outfielder's glove, and scored later in the frame on Marc Gendreau's single through the right side. Transy answered in kind in the bottom half of the inning when Chastain pushed Youngblood across with an infield base hit, and the Pioneers were up 10-2 after six innings.

Transylvania closed out the scoring in the seventh on Matt Broadwater's sacrifice fly to right-center, allowing Henry Molloy to cross to put the Pioneers up 11-2.

Earlham starter Aidan Talarek was charged with the loss after going two-and-a-third innings on the mound.

Brian Pincura led the Quakers with a 3-for-5 effort at the plate, while five other players recorded one hit each.
 
Earlham Baseball's 2021 post-season run marks the Quakers' third appearance in the HCAC Championship game over the last six seasons. Earlham previous played in the 2016 and 2017 tournament title games, winning the conference crown in 2017.