FORT MYERS, Fla. – Minnesota Morris (3-1) continued their great start to the season, earning a split with Illinois College (4-1). UMM won the first game 4-3 before falling 16-5 in the second game of day.
Jake Schmitz with 3-7 with two runs scored in the doubleheader.
GAME 1 Morris got on top early in game one, something they did on Monday as well. The Cougars scored a run in the first and one in the second to take a 2-0 lead. In the first Schmitz doubled and then scored on an error by the right fielder. In the second inning
Evan Ellingworth singled to lead off. He moved to second on a single by
Jackson Gessell. Ellingworth scored on a one out single by
Ryan Wynn to make it 2-0.
Minnesota Morris would extend their lead in the top of the fourth. The inning started with a hit-by-pitch putting Gessell on first, he then stole second. Conner Spindler walked putting runners on first and third with nobody out. A wild pitch followed allowing Spindler to move to third and then another wild pitch followed allowing Gessell to score and Spindler to move up to third.
Chandler Erickson hit a sac-fly with two outs giving the Cougars a 4-0 lead.
Illinois College rallied in the bottom of the six all with two outs. The Blueboys would get three runs on three hits and an error. All three runs would score unearned. With runners on first and third,
Devin Waldvogel replaced
Joey Hyde and got the final out of the inning by inducing a ground ball.
In the bottom of the seventh the Blueboys got a one out single but nothing more as Waldvogel earned the save. Hyde finished with three strikeouts and no earned runs allowed in 5 2/3 innings.
GAME 2 For the first time this season the Cougars did not score a run in the first inning but still struck first, scoring three runs in the bottom of the second inning. The rally started with a one out walk of Waldvogel. He scored on a double by Willie Fust to right center.
Eric Terres put UMM up 2-0 on a single to left field scoring Fust. Terres would come around to score with two outs on a passed ball.
The Blueboys got on the board in the top of the third by scoring six runs on four hits and four walks. The inning began with a single and then back-to-back one out walks. A pair of two run singles followed giving Illinois College a 4-3 lead. Two more walks followed and the Blueboys got a two run single with two outs to make it 6-3.
IC continued to put runs on the board scoring two in the fourth and three in fifth. Morris tried to get back in it in the bottom of the fifth. The inning started with three straight hits, including an RBI single by Erickson scoring Terres.
Kylan Hill drove in Schmitz with a ground out to first, cutting the IC lead to 11-5. Unfortunately the Cougars could not get back in the game as Illinois College scored five more times to win 16-5.
Tomorrow the Cougars will take on the US Coast Guard Academy in a nine inning game, their first one of the season.
