GPAC

[Baseball] Baseball Blasts Four Home Runs in GPAC Tourney Win

The Doane Baseball team powered their way through the early innings of the opening GPAC Tournament game and then used small ball to plate the winning run in an 8-7 victory over Northwestern on Thursday. The Tigers advance to play Mount Marty in the 9:00 AM winner's bracket contest on Friday after the Lancers defeated Jamestown, 4-2. Northwestern and Jamestown will meet at 12 PM on Friday.Northwestern jumped on the Tigers in the 1st inning as Colton Harold hit a solo home run with one out. In the bottom of the inning, Doane struck back as Joe Osborn (FR/Hickman, Neb.) hit a two-run blast to put Doane in front, 2-1.Nate Mensik (FR/Pleasant Dale, Neb.) added to the team lead in the 4th inning with a solo home run to give the Tigers a 3-1 advantage. The Red Raiders came back in the 6th inning by plating two runs to tie the game as Mo Watson hit a two-run pinch hit double.In the bottom of the 6th, Doane regained the lead as Lukas White (SO/Castaic, Calif.) hit a two-run home run and Talon Little (JR/Lincoln, Neb.) followed with a solo blast. Northwestern, though, came right back in the 7th inning with a pair of bloop singles and a two-run double by Jaden Snyder to pull within a run. Sutton Derr followed with a RBI-single to tie the game.The bottom of the 8th inning opened with Luke LaChance (FR/Littleton, Colo.) reaching on a walk and moving to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Brett Meyer (FR/Seward, Neb.). He took third base on a ground out and came in to score on a wild pitch to give the Tigers the lead.Northwestern put the tying run on base in the 9th inning with one out, however, Thaniel Trumper (FR/Fort Collins, Colo.) closed the door with a strikeout looking and a ground out to end the game.Trumper picked up the win for the Tigers, improving to 1-1 on the year. He threw 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out one. Travis Cowan (JR/Lakewood, Colo.) started for Doane and went 6.0 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. Kyler Beekman (FR/Elkhorn, Neb.) threw 1.0 inning, allowing three runs on four hits.Doane finished the game with seven hits as a team. Little was 2-for-3 to lead the hitting. White and LaChance scored two runs a piece while White and Osborn each had two RBIs.Northwestern received 5.2 innings of work from Dylan Kirkeby as he allowed five runs on six hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. Brady Roberts took the loss, falling to 3-6, as he allowed two runs on one hit and two walks with one strikeout.Northwestern posted 13 hits on the day, three from Snyder and two apiece from Eli Rash and Noa Vogel. Snyder and Watson had two RBIs each and Snyder led the team with two runs scored. Jamestown vs. Mount Marty notesThe Jimmies took an early lead with a run in the 3rd inning as Grant Okawa had a RBI-single. Dru Fitz held Mount Marty in check through 7.0 scoreless innings, allowing five hits. The Lancers were able to get to Fitz in the 8th inning as a throwing error allowed the tying run to score on a double steal. Billy Hancock followed with a two-run home run to go in front and Colin Muth added a solo blast to put the Lancers up 4-1. Jamestown pushed a run across in the 9th inning on a RBI-pinch hit single by Luke Shekeryk.