The Briar Cliff baseball completed the midweek sweep of Dordt on Tuesday afternoon at Bishop Mueller Field.
“Baseball is a tough game and it’s been very hard on us these past few weeks”, said head coach Corby McGlauflin. “I’m proud of the way our guys are sticking together. Today was a small step towards getting back to where we want to be!”
The Chargers tallied 23 hits across the doubleheader.
Game 1 – W, 4-0
Despite a leadoff hit batter, Carter Schorg and the Charger defense made plays to escape the pressure early in the first inning. Devon Farrell snagged a hard-hit line drive and was followed by a strike-him-out, throw-him-out play by Schorg and Connor Lange.
The Cliff found some momentum in the bottom of the first after a leadoff single through the left side by Trey Rogers. Cyler Melvin walked to put runners on first and second with no outs, but the Chargers were unable to convert.
In the top of the second, the Defenders threatened offensively with a leadoff single. Schorg buckled down with two strikeouts in the frame.
The Charger offense was piecing baserunners together in the bottom half of the second. Walter Hunt led off with a hard hit single to left field and was pushed to second on a bunt single from Jake Chronic. Cam Riemer and Easton Cone walked to load the bases and push the first run across the plate, while Farrell recorded an RBI sacrifice to end the inning with a 2-0 advantage.
BC added to their lead in the third as Quentin Evers knocked a homerun to left field to push the score to 3-0. This was the first home run in eight games for the Chargers.
Dordt put pressure on the Charger defense in the top of the fourth. Despite an error and two hits the Chargers were able to escape the inning unscathed as a Defender baserunner missed a base and was called out.
Briar Cliff pushed one more run across in the bottom of the sixth. Cam Riemer roped a double down the left field line and was driven in by an infield hit by Farrell. Heading into the final frame, the Chargers held a late 4-0 lead.
The Chargers kept the Defenders scoreless in the seventh to earn their first GPAC win and their fifth team shutout of the season.
Farrell led the way for the Cliff with two hits and two RBIs. Evers and Cone also tallied RBIs as six Chargers tallied one hit apiece.
Schorg and Alex Kremer combined for a complete-game shutout, the Chargers’ fifth of the season. Schorg went 2.0 innings, allowing only one hit and striking out three. Kremer went the rest of the way, posting 5.0 innings, allowing four hits and striking out three.
Game 2 – W, 19-12
The Charger offense put pressure on Dordt early in game two. Rogers led off the bottom of the first with a hard hit liner to left center field and was driven in by a single up the middle by Evers. Evers was pushed to third on the throw and was followed by a screaming line drive single from Hunt. At the end of the first frame, the Chargers held an early 2-0 advantage.
The Defenders respond in the top of the second. Despite carding only one hit, Dordt forced a costly Charger error and drew two walks. The Defenders cut the deficit to 1-2 heading to the bottom half of the inning.
In the second, BC found their groove. Farrell led off with a walk and was immediately driven in by Rogers’ triple down the right field line. Lange then carded an RBI double to right center and was followed by Evers’ second big fly of the day. At the end of two, the Chargers extended their lead to 6-1.
The Defenders retaliated with four runs of their own in the third frame. Following an opening single and and two walks, the bases were loaded for Kadin Davis, who launched a grand slam homerun to cut the deficit to one. Dordt wasn’t done just yet as they tallied three more hits and one run to even the score at 6-6.
Dordt poured on four runs in the top of the fourth. The Defenders tallied three hits, including a two-run homerun and a double, as the Chargers committed an error to grant Dordt the 10-6 lead.
The Chargers found some momentum in the bottom of the fifth behind two walks and a single to load up the bases with no outs. Jake Chronic laced a two-RBI single and was later followed by an RBI hit-by-pitch from Farrell and RBI groundout from Rogers. BC wasn’t done just yet as Jared Sitzmann came around to score on a wild pitch. Heading into the sixth inning, the Cliff now had the 11-10 lead.
The Defenders loaded the bases with one out in the sixth frame, but the Charger defense shut them down. Kyler Steinborn entered on the bump and recorded two strikeouts to end the frame.
Briar Cliff stuck with their trend of getting on base, as they loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the sixth. Six Chargers tallied at least one RBI in the frame as BC blew the game wide open 19-10.
In a comeback attempt, the Defenders pushed two more runs across the plate, but it was not enough as the Chargers went on to complete the doubleheader sweep of Dordt 19-12.
The Cliff erupted for 15 hits and 18 RBIs in game two. Rogers led the way with three hits and two RBIs as Lange, Evers, Chronic and Farrell also carded multi-hit and multi-RBI games. Six other Chargers tallied at least one hit.
In relief, Steinborn had a team-high three strikeouts in only 1.1 innings pitched. As a pitching staff, the Chargers recorded seven strikeouts.
The Chargers continue their GPAC slate when they host Dakota Wesleyan in a doubleheader on Thursday at Bishop Mueller Complex. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
