RICHMOND, Ind. – The Earlham College baseball team split a doubleheader with Transylvania University to keep hold of a half-game lead in the HCAC standings on Monday afternoon in Sadler Stadium.
GAME ONE: EARLHAM 2 TRANSYLVANIA 4 (11 innings)
Kyle Jeffries started game one on the mound, and tallied three strikeouts and one earned run across 7.1 innings of work.
Hayden Scalf was tagged with the loss after throwing 3.2 innings with no earned runs and two strikeouts.
Sean Jeffries went 3-5 with a double and a steal.
Mitchell Roether also had a trio of hits with a run scored and an RBI.
After a two-out double by Roether,
Jackson McFarland hit an RBI single to center field for the first run of the day and a 1-0 Quaker lead.
The Pioneers responded in the top of the second inning with three hits for one run.
Runs were tough to come by, as the next score came in the top of the fifth inning with a run coming home on a fielding error by the Quakers. Earlham came back in the bottom of the inning to tie the game on a single by Roether.
As a team, the Quakers left 14 runners on base in the 11 innings of play, while the Pioneers left 10 runners stranded.
After 10 innings of play, the Pioneers broke through in the top of the 11th inning with the leadoff batter reaching on an error. With the bases loaded, the Pioneers hit a two-run double to deep center field to take a 4-2 lead.
Earlham put two runners on base in the bottom of the 11th, but left them stranded to end the game.
GAME TWO: EARLHAM 13 TRANSYLVANIA 9
Casey Blevins opened game two with 5.1 innings pitched and four strikeouts with just one earned run.
Christopher Snider was tagged with three earned runs in one inning of relief, and
Garret Odey earned the win with 2.2 innings, one earned run and one strikeout.
Roether tied for second on the all-time career home run list, tallying three hits, four RBI and one run.
Noah Wagster was a triple shy of the cycle with two RBI and a steal.
Roether put the Quakers up with a two-run home run to center field in the bottom of the second inning, and the Quakers piled on in the second.
Chris Barnett earned a leadoff walk, and scored on a double by Jeffires. Roether then hit a two-run double off the EC logo on the Maroon Monster to give the Quakers a 5-0 lead.
The Pioneers got a run back in the top of the third inning with a one-out home run.
With two outs and two runners on base in the bottom of the fifth inning,
Jonathan Jimenez hit a triple into the left-center gap for two runs and a 7-1 Quaker lead.
Transylvania scored four runs on one hit and four errors in the top of the sixth inning. The Pioneers then scored four more runs in the top of the seventh inning.
Jeffries reached as the leadoff batter on an error in the bottom of the seventh, and scored on an infield single by McFarland. Wagster then gave the Quakers the lead again with a no-doubt shot over the Maroon Monster for two runs. Leading 10-9, Jeffries got in on the home run party in the bottom of the eighth inning with a two-run blast over the Maroon Monster. McFarland then brought home the last run of the game with a sacrifice fly.
Earlham hosts Manchester University for a three-game set next weekend, which includes Senior Day on Saturday. First pitch on Friday is slated for 6 pm.
