GPAC

[Baseball] Baseball Sweeps on Saturday; Earns Home GPAC Games

Doane Baseball won a pair of games  on Saturday to clinch home field in the GPAC bracket round beginning on Thursday. The Tigers swept the doubleheader against Jamestown, taking game one, 5-1, and game two, 10-6. Doane will close out the regular season with another doubleheader against the Jimmies on Sunday with a shot at the conference crown still on the line. Game OneDoane scored all five runs in the 3rd inning and it was enough to back the pitching performance of Travis Cowan (JR/Lakewood, Colo.). The Tiger right-hander limited Jamestown to four hits in the game while striking out seven in 7.0 innings of work.In the 3rd, Brett Meyer (FR/Seward, Neb.) opened the inning with a triple and scored on a bunt single from Nate Mensik (FR/Pleasant Dale, Neb.). With the bases loaded and one out, Joe Osborn (FR/Hickman, Neb.) hit his eighth home run of the season and the team's seventh grand slam as the Tigers went up, 5-0.Jamestown was able to push a run across in the 5th inning as a leadoff walk came around to score.Doane finished the game with seven hits, two apiece from Osborn and Jaryn Nakamoto (SR/Aiea, Hawaii). Game TwoThe Tigers plated seven runs through the first two innings of play to post the victory. In between games, Doane had found out they had clinched a home tournament bracket with a loss by Briar Cliff and the team appeared to play a little looser right out the gate.Andy Theiler (JR/Arlington, Neb.) led off the game with a double and came in to score on a sacrifice bunt by Talon Little (JR/Lincoln, Neb.). Lukas White (SO/Castaic, Calif.) scored the second run following a Jimmie error.In the 2nd inning, Doane scored five runs on five hits. Jack Tillman (SO/Omaha, Neb.) and Nate Mensik opened the inning with hits. White then followed with a three-run home run to extend the lead. Little started another rally with a double and scored on a home run by Osborn, his second of the day and ninth of the season to break the freshman home run record.Jamestown came back with three runs in the 4th inning but would leave the bases loaded and Doane in front 7-3. Doane added to their lead with a run in the 6th inning on a RBI-single by White. The Jimmies countered with two runs in the bottom of the 6th on a two-run home run.Leading 8-5 heading to the 8th inning, Doane scored their final two runs as Nakamoto had a two-run single to plate Bob Mercier (FR/Lincoln, Neb.) and Little. The final run of the game for Jamestown came in the bottom of the 9th as they left the tying run at the plate with the bases loaded.Doane used four pitchers in the game to secure the win. Aaron Forrest (FR/Peoria, Ariz.) started and went 3.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits with five strikeouts. Christian McCown (JR/Diller, Neb.) picked up his first win as he threw 1.2 scoreless innings and struck out four. Kellan Voggesser (FR/Fort Collins, Colo.) threw 3.0 innings and allowed two runs on three hits with four strikeouts. Thaniel Trumper (FR/Fort Collins, Colo.) threw the final inning, allowing a run on four hits and striking out two.Tillman went 4-for-5 for the Tigers as the team had 16 hits in the game. White was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and four driven in. Osborn and Nakamoto had two hits and two RBIs apiece while Little and Tanner Black (FR/Elkhorn, Neb.) scored two runs a piece to match White for the team high.