The Blackburn College baseball team (2-5) were able to finally get some games under their belt this year as they traveled down south for their annual Spring Break trip. While down south, the Beavers played stiff competition as every team they faced were NAIA teams, which means most of the players are on scholarship. They finished the trip with a record of 2-4.
Blackburn had a game scheduled against the University of Mobile (Alabama) last Monday, but they could not escape the rain and it was eventually cancelled. The Beavers packed up and headed west to New Orleans to play a three game series against Loyola University-New Orleans.
Game 1:
The first game of the set came all the way down to the wire, but Loyola won in walk-off fashion 6-5 in extra innings. Caleb Schupbach started on the hill and went 7 innings, giving up 4 runs on 7 hits and 5 walks while striking out 3. The Beavers outhit Loyola in game one 10-8, led by sophomore outfielder Jacob Conder's 3-4 day and Donny Fuhrhop's 3 RBI. Junior Cody Meyer was tagged with the loss out of the bullpen.
Game 2:
Loyola came out of the gates swinging in the back end of the doubleheader. They scored 5 runs in the first 2 innings off of freshman pitcher Kaycee Jones. He settled down and finished with a line of 3 earned runs in 4 innings of work while allowing 8 hits and 3 walks. The Beavers only knocked 5 hits in the game and scored their only 2 runs of the ballgame in the third inning off of a Conder bases loaded walk, followed by a Franklin Bush sacrifice fly. Marcus Kelly and Tim Hillis pitched an inning each in relief.
Game 3:
The following night, the Beavers played at John Ryan Field in New Orleans and looked to avoid the sweep. Senior Cody Unser got the nod on the bump. After cruising through the first inning, he had a rough second by giving up 6 runs. Unser's line was 4 innings pitched and 8 earned runs. He allowed 9 hits and 2 walks while also whiffing 3 Loyola hittters. Blackburn came up with some offense of their own as they scored in 6 different innings. Junior Cody Flowers and sophomore Jon Lowry each had a pair of hits while Lowry and Conder each scored a pair of runs. Bush crossed the plate three times for the Beavers and Fuhrhop knocked in 3 RBI. Vinnie Birk threw three innings in relief and Tyler Gosnell threw one, but the team effort was not enough as Loyola finished off the sweep by winning 11-7.
Blackburn hauled their vans over to Jackson, Mississippi to play three more games at Tougaloo College this past weekend. They played LSU-Alexandria once and then Tougaloo twice.
Game 1:
The Beavers played a little sloppy against LSU-Alexandria on Saturday afternoon. The four Beaver errors led to a a 9-3 loss. Sophomore Jacob Baalman threw 5 innings and surrendered five earned runs on 10 hits while not recording a walk nor a strikeout. Josh Norsigian pitched 3 innings in his college debut out of the bullpen. Blackburn only cracked six hits in the game and three runs, two of which were driven in by Lowry.
Game 2:
Blackburn won their first game of the year in a 6-5 extra inning affair against Tougaloo on Saturday afternoon. The Beavers occupied a 5-1 lead going into the bottom half of the ninth before the Bulldogs tied it up. Fuhrhop stole a run in the top of the tenth for Blackburn before Cody Meyer shut it down and notched his first save of the season. Dan Witkus threw an excellent game on the hill but got nothing for it as Kaycee Jones got the win in relief. Witkus pitched 6 innings of 1-run ball while striking out four, walking one, and surrendering sevenhits. Freshman Aaron Moody had a pair of RBI out of the leadoff spot while Bush, Fuhrhop, and Birk each collected one of their own.
Game 3:
The second win came the next day as the Beavers bested Tougaloo 7-6 in a back and forth game. It was a total team win as 15 players had a helping hand in the victory. Caleb Schupbach again threw seven innings on the mound. He gave up 4 earned runs on 7 hits and 2 walks and K'd 3 Tougaloo hitters. Vinnie Birk got the win out of the pen for the Beavers by finishing the last two innings. Aaron Moody, off the bench, again swatted in two RBI with his triple in the top half of the eighth. Bush had himself a day by going 3-4 with three runs scored at the dish. Freshman Matt Mokriakow drove in 3 runs and Dan Witkus got the game winning RBI off the bench with a sac fly in the ninth.
The Beavers were originally supposed to host a doubleheader this Tuesday against Wisconsin-Platteville, but those games have been moved to Jacksonville, Ill. due to the weather. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30.