RICHMOND, Ind. – The Earlham College baseball team split with Alma College to begin a three-game series on Thursday evening in Sadler Stadium.
GAME ONE: EARLHAM 5 ALMA 6
Dillon Fischer started game one of the series with 5.1 innings pitched and four strikeouts.
Reece Zonts scored three hits, and
Sean Jeffries had two RBI on one hit.
The Quakers led at the end of the first inning after two RBI-singles in the bottom of the frame. Alma then retaliated in the top of the third inning with three runs on two hits and four walks.
The Scots then tacked on two more runs in the top of the sixth inning.
The Quakers then scored in the bottom of the sixth inning after a leadoff hit by
Noah Rosato.
Quin Adelson hit a leadoff double in the bottom of the seventh inning, and was brought home after a pair of flyouts.
Alma then extended its lead to two in the top of the eighth inning, and the Quakers scored the final run of the game from
Cameron Powell in the bottom of the eighth.
GAME TWO: EARLHAM 12 ALMA 6
Hayden Scalf pitched a quality start with seven complete innings and zero hits allowed. Scarf struck out eight batters, and surrendered just three walks.
Phoenix Guzzi threw the final 1.1 innings, and earned the win with one strikeout and two hits allowed.
Max Fries had two hits with three runs and three RBI.
Ian Bullis recorded two hits with two RBI and one run scored.
Jeffries began game two with a leadoff triple, and later scored on a wild pitch. Zonts began the second frame with a single to left field. He went from first to third base on a single by Bullis, and reached home on an RBI groundout by
Max Stewart.
A leadoff walk by Fries led to a run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
After Scalf exited the game in the top of the eighth inning, the Scots loaded the bases on two walks and a single. Guzzi entered with two outs and three runners on base. The Scots then earned a HBP, and scored two runs on a dropped fly ball to tie the game.
Jonathan Jimenez earned a leadoff walk in the bottom of the seventh inning. Fries then hit a triple to right field that would have scored Jimenez if not for a potential blocked plate by the Scot's catcher. Alma put
Mac Moore and Zonts on base with walks, and Bullis came through with a big double down the left field line for two RBI with the bases loaded.
Stewart then got in on the action with a bases-clearing single to center field. Guzzi took home on a wild pitch to put the home squad up 9-3. Fries then cleared the bases with a three-run homer to deep left-center field.
Two fielding errors allowed three runs by the Scots in the top of the ninth inning, but Guzzi scored the final out with a ground ball in the middle infield.
The Quakers are scheduled to conclude the series with Alma tomorrow at 6 pm, but changing weather conditions are expected to shift the start time of the series finale.
