No. 24 Taylor Plates Program Record 30 Runs in Home-Opening Win over IUPUC
UPLAND, Ind. – The No. 24 Taylor baseball team established a new program record for most runs scored in a single game on Wednesday evening, when the Trojans plated 30 runs against Indiana University Purdue University-Columbus (IUPUC) in their 2023 home opener.
Taylor entered the day with 32 runs in its first six games of the season, which the Trojan bats nearly matched in nine innings of play in their first performance at Winterholter Field this season.
Several Trojans posted career-best numbers, including sophomore Kaleb Kolpien, who recorded his fifth career four-hit performance while driving in a career-high six runs from the dish. Meanwhile, senior TJ Bass put himself on base five times, rounding the bases in seemingly perpetual motion while notching a career-best five runs scored. Mason David also posted a career-best in the run column, crossing home plate a total of four times from the leadoff spot.
Freshman first baseman, Sam Gladd, made the most of his pinch-hit outing, going three-for-three at the plate en route to a season-high five RBI in just five innings of play.
Taylor wasted little time in getting on the board, as Kolpien blasted his second home run of the season in the bottom half of the first inning, bringing Mason David and Bass home to score. Freshman duo, Brayden Manning and Ben Kennedy, then each recorded RBI-knocks of their own to finish the frame up 5-0.
From there Taylor managed to score a run in each of its eight half-innings at the plate, highlighted by an 11-run seventh inning in which Gladd posted two hits and four RBI in two plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Wes Hunt made his first collegiate start on the mound for the Trojans. TU’s 6-7 freshman traversed three-and-two-thirds innings of play, surrendering just two hits while racking up six strikeouts. Four walks, however, amped up his pitch count, ending West’s night with two outs in the fourth.
Fellow freshman, Jacob Boyer (1-0), then took over on the bump, closing the fourth and pitching his way through a hitless fifth inning to earn the first win of his collegiate career.
A third Trojan freshman then received the rock in the sixth inning, Gage Gongwer, who completed two scoreless innings including a pair of strikeouts.
Nolan Bond and Conner Miller, then closed the game for the Trojans, tying a bow on TU’s program-record setting win over IUPUC (1-4) in the 2023 home-opener.
No. 24 Taylor (2-5) will look to carry its explosive offense into the Southeast Rumble this Friday, February 17, when the Trojans play RV Point Park (0-0) at 12:00 pm ET.