Late Game Magic Secures Opening-Round Win for No. 22 Taylor
UPLAND, Ind. – In an Upland Bracket elimination matchup with Columbia College (38-14), the No. 22 Taylor Trojans (41-17) posted three-unanswered runs on the board late the game to keep their 2022 season alive, defeating the Cougars by a final score of 3-2.
A Trojan trio of pitchers relentlessly attacked the zone, forcing the Columbia lineup to swing the bat and strive to find holes in a tough Taylor defense.
The Cougars were not able to find many holes throughout the game, as the Trojan pitching staff limited them to just seven base knocks in the nine-inning affair while the Taylor defense was flawless in the field.
Freshman sensation, Kaleb Kolpien, started on the bump, traversing four innings of work while scattering five hits and two runs. The lefty recorded three strikeouts without surrendering a single walk.
Michael Pinarski (4-3), then, took over for Kolpien in the fifth and completed the next four-and-one-third innings of action, allowing just two hits and scratching nothing but zeros into the Cougar line score.
After four quiet innings of offense, back-to-back two-out Trojan singles finally made some noise at Winterholter Field in the fifth.
The first base knock was struck by freshman third baseman, Mason David, which moved courtesy-runner, Luke Shively, from first to third. Senior shortstop and leadoff man, Nick Rusche, then stepped to the plate and got the Trojans on the board with a single to center of his own.
The score read 2-1 until the bottom of the eighth, when Rusche frustrated the Cougar defense yet again. The lefty leadoff man ripped another single to center, after which an errant pickoff attempt with two outs invited Rusche to show off his speed, sprinting from first to third to put the tying-run just 90 feet away from home plate.
Kolpien, then, came alive at the plate, recording his first hit of the game at a most-opportune time to bring Rusche home to score and tie the game at two.
The Taylor bats were not done though, as senior centerfielder, Conner Crawford, kept the train moving with a two-out single of his own, scooting Kolpien over to third base.
At this point in the game, the Trojan lineup did, perhaps, what it does best. Knepp and Jacob Morris drew back-to-back walks, increasing Taylor’s season-total to 311 for the nation’s fourth-highest mark and, more importantly, securing the go-ahead run.
Now up 3-2, Pinarski took his place on the mound and won a tough at-bat with the Cougar leadoff man by striking him out on a full count.
Columbia, then, put the tying and go-ahead runners on base, which brought Crossroads League Pitcher of the Week, Jack Ross, into the game for a save opportunity. That opportunity quickly morphed into reality, as Ross retired each of the two Cougars he faced, the last of which came via the strikeout.
Pinarski picked up the win as Ross earned his third save of the season, meanwhile Rusche championed the Trojan offense with three hits, an RBI, and a run scored.
No. 22 Taylor (41-17) will now advance to play the Upland Bracket’s five-seed, Bryan (28-27), in its second elimination game of the day, set to unfold at 7:00 pm on Tuesday evening, May 17th.