Home Run Central: PNW Baseball Splits with IU South Bend

by | Apr 16, 2017 | Headlines, RRSN News | 0 comments

HAMMOND, Ind. – The Purdue University Northwest baseball team used a high powered comeback effort to defeat IU South Bend, 11-10, in Game 1, before dropping the nightcap 16-15 to the Titans.

 

The Pride (18-14, 11-6 CCAC) connected on four home runs on the day, including 13 extra base hits to combine for 26 total runs on the day.

 

Freshmen Tyler Kenjic (Hobart, Ind./Hobart), Jono Bigger (Roselawn, Ind./North Newton) and junior Jonny Albers (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo) all connected on their first career home runs, with Alec Skalka (Munster, Ind./Munster) earning his second career homer, his first being of inside the park fashion during the fall season.

 

Bigger, Kenjic, Austin Kordik (West Chicagon, Ill./West Chicago) and Larry Crisler (Gary, Ind./Bishop Noll) all led the Pride with four hits on the day, with Kenjic recording seven RBI total.

 

Game 1: PNW 11, IUSB 10

The Pride jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, but the Titans would answer back in the top of the third with an 8-run inning to take an 8-2 advantage.

 

The Titans would add two more runs in the top of the fourth frame, but the Pride would answer back with three runs in the bottom of the inning thanks to a 3-run homer from Albers which cut its deficit to 10-5.

 

The Pride would break the bats out in the bottom of the sixth, starting with a 2-run homer from Kenjic making it 10-7.

 

Luke Schmidt (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake South) would keep the inning alive with a 2-run double which plated Anthony Quintero (Griffith, Ind./Griffith) and Andrew Atchison (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) to put the Pride within one, 10-9.

 

Jono Bigger would put the exclamation mark on the inning with what would be the game-winning home run in the bottom of the sixth that plated Smith and put the Pride ahead 11-10.

 

Senior Matt Sandoval (Highland, Ind./Bishop Noll) would earn his second save of the season, shutting down the Titans in the seventh and giving the Pride the win.

 

Zac Hernandez (Hebron, Ind./Hebron) got the start for the Pride, allowing eight runs in 2.2 innings pitched while Fabian Del Real (Calumet City, Ill./T.F. North) picked up the win after throwing 3.1 innings on the mound, allowing two runs while striking out three.

 

Game 2: IUSB 16, PNW 15

After IUSB took a 5-2 advantage heading in to the third inning, the Pride battled back to take its first lead of the game, 6-5, thanks to back-to-back RBI-hits from Kordik and Kenjic.

 

The Titans would answer back to take a 9-6 advantage in the top of the fourth frame, but the Pride would tack on two more runs in the bottom of the inning to make it 9-8.

 

An RBI-groundout from Luke Schmidt followed by an RBI-double from Crisler helped the Pride retake the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, 10-9.

 

IUSB would answer yet again with a five-run top of the sixth frame to go ahead 14-10, but an RBI-groundout from Kenjic followed by a solo homer from Skalka in the bottom of the seventh put the Pride within two, 14-12.

 

After the Titans added two more runs, the Pride looked to make another comeback in the bottom of the ninth, but just came up short as the Titans pulled away with the 16-15 win.

 

Alex Batistatos (Hobart, Ind./Hobart) got the start on the mound for the Pride, allowing nine runs, three earned, in five innings of work with five strikeouts.

 

Willie Bennet (Santee Calif./West Hills) then entered the game in relief, throwing 0.2 innings of work allowing five runs while Deven Smith (Royal Center, Ind./Pioneer) pitched 1.2 innings allowing one run on one hit.

 

Brody Kutch (La Porte, Ind./La Porte) finished the game for the Pride, allowing just one run in 1.2 innings of work while striking out two.

 

The Pride return to action Tuesday, Apr. 18, when they host Saint Xavier University in a CCAC doubleheader starting at 2 p.m. (CT). 

Related Stories

IUSB WBB races past Calumet

SOUTH BEND, Ind.- The Indiana University South Bend Titans (16-6, 9-6 CCAC) defeated the Calumet College of Saint Joseph Crimson Wave (2-21, 0-15 CCAC) by a final score of 111-31 to snap their two game skid and mark their biggest victory of the season. The first half...

IUSB men’s basketball falls to CCSJ in final moments

SOUTH BEND, Ind.- The Indiana University South Bend Titans (13-10, 10-5 CCAC) lost their CCAC match up to the Calumet College of Saint Joseph Crimson Wave (13-9, 8-7 CCAC) by a final score of 84-82, snapping their four game winning streak. Even at 10-10 five minutes...

Bethel Men’s Volleyball falls short of reverse sweep at Trine

ANGOLA, Ind.--- In the first road match of the season, the Bethel Pilots (3-2) fall short of a reverse sweep over the Trine Thunder (6-4) on the road (18-25, 29-31, 25-22, 25-19, 13-15) on Tuesday night. After the 7-7 tie in the first set, the Thunder went on an 8-2...

Indiana’s Garzon Named To 2025 Cheryl Miller Award Top 10

Garzon Named To 2025 Cheryl Miller Award Top 10   SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Indiana women’s basketball junior guard Yarden Garzon has been named to the 2025 Cheryl Miller Award Top 10, announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and Women’s Basketball Coaches...

Big Ten Weekly Men’s Basketball Central – Feb. 4-6

Big Ten. Big News. Entering this week’s action, Michigan State was at the top of the B1G standings with a 9-1 mark in conference play. They were followed closely by Purdue in 2nd at 9-2, then Michigan in 3rd at 8-2, Maryland, Wisconsin, and UCLA in a tie for 4th at...

Big Ten Weekly Women’s Basketball Central – Feb. 4-6

Half of the Big Ten’s 16 games will be featured on national platforms this week, while the remaining games will be streamed live on B1G+ (visit bigtenplus.com for more information). Wednesday’s docket includes a doubleheader on Peacock with No. 7 USC visiting...

iHSAA Girls Basketball First Round Tourney Scores

  iHSAA Girls Basketball First Round Tourney Scores Crown Point Hammond Central 45 Crown Point 34 Chesterton Valparaiso 64 Hobart 33 LaPorte South Bend Riley 52 Mishawaka 38 Warsaw Elkhart 40 Concord 34 Noblesville Hamilton Southeastern 46 Fishers 30 Noblesville...