GPAC

[Baseball] Oltmans Collects 100th Doane Win; Baseball Takes Two

Doane Baseball hosted Dakota Wesleyan on Saturday to start a four-game series in the GPAC Battle of the Tigers. Doane would take both games to open the weekend, winning game one, 13-4, and game two, 8-4. The two wins pushed the team's record to 26-12-1 while also giving Coach Josh Oltmans his 100th win of the Doane coaching career. Game OneDoane scored in every inning as they used 18 hits to pull away from Dakota Wesleyan.DWU scored first, using a leadoff triple and a RBI-ground out for a 1-0 lead. Doane came back in the bottom of the 1st inning to tie the game on a RBI-double by Talon Little (JR/Lincoln, Neb.) to plate Lukas White (SO/Castaic, Calif.) from first base.In the 2nd inning, Doane took the lead on a two-out, two-run home run by Nate Mensik (FR/Pleasant Dale, Neb.). Dakota Wesleyan picked up a run in the 3rd to cut the Doane lead in half only to see the home squad score three times in the 3rd for a 6-2 lead. Joe Osborn (FR/Hickman, Neb.) had a two-run home run and Luka LaChance picked up a RBI-single to account for the runs in the 3rd inning.White singled inside the bag at third in the 4th inning to drive in Andy Theiler (JR/Arlington, Neb.) for a 7-2 lead. DWU scored two runs in the 5th on a home run by Dalton Wilcoxen. Doane was able to get the runs back on a RBI-double by Aaron Mason (SR/Omaha, Neb.) and a bases loaded walk to White.Doane closed out the scoring in the 6th inning with four runs crossing the plate. The scoring started with Osborn sitting on a 3-0 count and on the next pitch, sending it over the wall for a 10-4 lead. Three DWU errors followed to allow three more Doane runs cross the plate.Three players had three hits apiece for Doane. White was 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs while Osborn was 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs. Tucker Catlett (SR/Lincoln, Neb.) was 3-for-4 and Tanner Black (FR/Elkhorn, Neb.) scored three runs as Catlett's courtesy runner.Travis Cowan (JR/Lakewood, Colo.) picked up his fifth win of the season, throwing 5.0 innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks with five strikeouts. Christian McCown (JR/Diller, Neb.) threw 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and a walk while picking up one strikeout. Game TwoPitching carried Doane to the early lead but it was a couple of clutch hits late to pick up the victory.Little started the scoring for Doane again in game two, hitting a two-run home run in the 1st inning. It was his 12th home run of the season. DWU scored a run in the 4th on a triple and a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit in half. Doane was able to get the run right back in the bottom of the 4th on a RBI-triple by Jack Tillman (SO/Omaha, Neb.), his first career triple. In the 5th inning, Jaryn Nakamoto (SR/Aiea, Hawaii) delivered a two-out double to put Doane up 4-1. DWU scored their second run on a sacrifice fly as well, leaving the home Tigers in front, 4-2 after six innings.In the 7th, DWU had back-to-back hits with two outs. Following a single, Jared Jones hit a two-run home run to tie the game. Doane answered once again with two runs in the bottom of the 7th to regain the lead. With two outs, Nakamoto singled to score Justin Nevells (FR/Chugiak, Alaska). The throw to the plate bounced past the catcher and Joe Osborn read the situation perfectly, racing home to beat a play at the plate for the second run of the inning.In the 8th inning, Doane added to their lead as Theiler tripled with two outs to bring in Luke LaChance (FR/Littleton, Colo.) after he opened the inning with a double. A wild pitch allowed Theiler to score the final run.Aaron Forrest (FR/Peoria, Ariz.) threw 7.0 innings, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks. He posted a career-high 12 strikeouts, more than double his previous best of five. Thaniel Trumper (FR/Fort Collins, Colo.) threw the final 2.0 innings, allowing one hit and striking out four batters.Doane had 10 hits in the game, two from Little and LaChance. Little and Nakamoto led the team with two runs batted in apiece while White led the squad with two runs scored.