Beloit College baseball team goes 5-0 over weekend

BELOIT — Beloit College’s baseball team pushed back the starting time of its weekend finale with Knox College a couple of hours to allow The Ballpark at Strong Stadium to dry a bit Sunday afternoon.

The 3 p.m. start was well worth the wait.

The Buccaneers scored three times in the second inning and never trailed as they edged the Prairie Fire 4-2 to cap an outstanding weekend.

Beloit (16-6, 9-2) not only swept three games from Knox, the one at home Sunday and two on the road Saturday, but it also swept a pair of games at the University of Chicago on Friday. Beloit has won six straight games overall.

Matt O’Leary put Beloit on top in the second with a bases-loaded walk. Connor Vogel followed with an RBI single and Brett Kiger made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly.

That was really all the offense the Buccaneers needed because starter Caleb Lasher and reliever Myles Souza were outstanding. Lasher allowed only one run over the first five innings and Souza allowed one an unearned run over the final four.

• SATURDAY: After winning the first game 13-5, Beloit outscored Knox College 7-0 in its final three at-bats in the nightcap to wipe out a 6-4 deficit and post an 11-6 win.

The Bucs (15-6, 8-2) outscored the Prairie Fire 24-11 in the two games featuring plenty of offense.

In the opener, Beloit jumped out to a 9-1 lead after three innings. Jack Alport and Matt O’Leary led off with singles in the first inning and Connor Vogel collected an RBI double. Evan Zenger followed with a two-run single and the Bucs were well on their way.

Alport finished 3-for-6 with three runs scored and two RBIs. O’Leary scored four times and was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Vogel was also 2-for-4 with a run scored and three RBIs. Kiger and Zenger also went 2-for-4 apiece with Kiger knocking in three runs and Zenger two.

Kaiya Nishino (2-0) started and picked up the win, allowing 10 hits and five runs (four earned) in five innings. Tommy Murray came on for his second save, tossing four scoreless innings and allowing three hits.

In the nightcap, Knox battled back to take a 6-4 lead in the top of the sixth, but the Bucs weren’t done scoring. Kiger blasted a solo homer in the seventh and Beloit went back on top in the eighth. Brody Bremer scored on a passed ball and after a walk, hit by pitch and fielder’s choice, Kiger singled to drive in RJ Pouzar from third to put the Bucs back in front 7-6.

Beloit tacked on three runs in the top of the ninth. Myles Souza and Jacopo Tamburini led off with singles and scored on a double by Tyler White. Alport’s homer accounted for the other run.

The Bucs used three pitchers. Eamon Burke started and allowed one run in 4 1-3 innings. Micah Wilk allowed five runs in 1 2-3 innings before Harvey Pena (3-0) came on to pick up the win with three scoreless innings, fanning five.

• FRIDAY: Starting pitcher Aiden Phipps was outstanding in winning the first game 4-2. He pitched seven innings, allowing seven hits and striking out four. Pena closed out the game with two scoreless innings, allowing no hits and fanning three.

Vogel was 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI to lead Beloit’s 9-hit attack. Zenger belted a home run.

In the nightcap, the Bucs trailed 8-7 in the ninth inning. Tamburini led off with a walk and Bremer came on to pinch-run. He stole second and went to third when the catcher overthrew second. A strikeout and a pop-up later, Bremer was still at third.

U-Chicago elected to walk Matt O’Leary and Vogel singled to right to tie the game 8-8. O’Leary motored to third and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. U-Chicago proceeded to walk the next three Bucs with Souza picking up an RBI. An error allowed Beloit to lead 12-8.

•UP NEXT: The Bucs will host U-Chicago at 1 p.m. Wednesday

• LINESCORES:

Friday

Game 1

BELOIT 4, U-CHICAGO 2

Beloit 200 011 000 — 4 9 1

U-Chicago 000 020 000 — 2 7 1

Leading hitters: BC, Vogel 3x5, 1 run, 1 rbi; O’Leary 1x2, 2 runs. UC, Gladden 2x4, 1 run, 2 rbi; Rindner 2x4. 2B: Alport (BC), Slipock (UC). HR: Zenger (BC), Gladden.

Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so): BC, Phipps (W,5-1) 7.0-7-2-2-0-4; Pena (S,3) 2.0-0-0-0-1-3. UC, Leideman (L,1-4) 6.0-6-4-2-2-6; Waller 1.0-0-0-0-1-3; Pelz 1.0-2-0-0-1-1; Klanot 1.0-1-0-0-0-2.

Game 2

BELOIT 12, U-CHICAGO 8

Beloit 100 013 025 — 12 11 4

U-Chicago 005 002 100 — 8 10 3

Leading hitters: BC, Alport 2x3, 3 runs; O’Leary 3x4, 1 run, 3 rbi; Vogel 3x6, 1 run, 2 rbi. UC, Slipock 2x5, 2 runs, 1 rbi; Gladden 2x5, 1 run; Rindner 2x4, 1 run, 2 rbi; McCarthy 2x4, 1 rbi. 2B; Gladden.

Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so:) BC, Schweiz 4.0-6-5-5-1-2; Stern 1.1-1-2-0-1-0; Wilk 0.2-1-0-0-0-1; Murray 1.0-1-1-0-0-1; Lasher (W,1-1) 1.0-0-0-0-0-0; Pena 1.0-1-0-0-1-1. UC, Bailey 4.1-3-2-2-3-4; Hogan 2.2-5-5-5-3-5; Tenuta (L,,0-4) 1.2-3-5-0-5-4; Flanagan 0.1-0-0-0-0-0.

Saturday

Game 1

BELOIT 13, KNOX 5

Beloit 324 013 000 — 13 14 3

Knox 001 220 000 — 5 13 0

Leading hitters: BC, Alport 3x6, 3 runs, 2 RBI; O’Leary 2x4, 1 run, 3 rbi; Kiger 2x4, 3 rbi; Zenger 2x4, RBI. KC, Laws 3x5, 1 run; Garrett 2x5, 1 run; Stan 2x5, McMurtrie 2x4, 1 run. 2B: Alport 2, Vogel, Kiger, Zenger, Laws.

Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so): BC, Nishino (W,2-0) 5.0-10-5-5-1-4; Murray 4.0-3-0-0-0-1. KC, Bertrand (L,0-1) 1.0-5-5-5-2-1; Amend 1.1-1-4-3-5-1; Garcia 2.2-5-1-1-1-3; Heeren 0.2-1-3-3-3-0; Rosenberg 3.1-2-0-0-3-3.

Game 2

BELOIT 11, KNOX 6

Beloit 100 300 124 — 11 10 2

Knox 000 015 000 — 6 11 8

Leading hitters: BC. Alport 1x5 2 runs, 2 rbi; Kiger 2x3, 1 run, 2 rbi; Zenger 2x5, 1 rbi; Tamburini 1x4, 2 runs; White 1x1, 1 run, 2 rbi. KC, Nitti 2x5, 2 runs, 1 rbi; Laws 2x5, 1 run, 4 rbi; Stan 2x5, 1 run. 2B: Vogel, Zenger, White. HR: Alport, Kiger, Kemp, Nitti, Laws.

Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so): BC, Burke 4.1-4-1-1-2-2; Wilk 1.2-5-5-5-0-1; Pena 3.0-2-0-0-0-5. KC, Henning 6.1-5-5-1-4-8; Ward 1.2-1-2-1-2-0; Fuji 1.0-4-4-4-0-0.

Sunday

BELOIT 4, KNOX 2

Knox 000 100 001 — 2 7 3

Beloit 030 100 00x — 4 6 1

Leading hitters: KC, Laws 3x4, 2 runs, 1 rbi. BC, Vogel 2x5, O’Leary 1x4, 1 run, 1 rbi; Kiger 1x2, 2 rbi. 2B: Thomas (KC), O’Leary, Tamburini (BC). HR: Laws.

Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so): KC, Dooley (L) 1.1-1-3-0-6-2; Ripka 3.2-5-1-1-0-4; Ward 3.0-0-0-0-2-1. BC, Lasher (W) 5.0-5-1-1-1-4; Souza 4.0-2-1-0-0-0.