No. 24 TU Bats Outscore RV Olivet Nazarene 33-6 in Day-Night Doubleheader

No. 24 TU Bats Outscore RV Olivet Nazarene 33-6 in Day-Night Doubleheader

UPLAND, Ind. – The No. 24 Taylor baseball team has settled into a nice groove under the lights at Winterholter Field thus far in 2023, extending its home record to a perfect 3-0 after sweeping RV Olivet Nazarene (6-6) in a day-night doubleheader on Thursday.

The Trojans (6-6) outscored the Tigers by a spacious margin of 33-6 and have now outscored opponents at Winterholter Field by a margin of 63-7 in just 23 innings of play. That equates to 21.0 runs per game and an absurd mark of 2.74 runs per inning.

In game one, 11 different Trojans recorded a hit en route to a 20-5 slaying of the Tigers, while nine different Trojan batters posted a hit in a 13-1 game-two victory. Though, it was three Trojans in particular who filled the scoresheet to the brim by day’s end.

The familiar suspects of TJ Bass and Kaleb Kolpien each recorded seven hits throughout Thursday’s 14 innings of play, all the while combining for nine hits in game one alone. Each Trojan drove in six RBI on the day, while Bass notched five extra-base hits and Kolpien tallied three of his own.

Bass struck a pair of home runs to give him four on the season alongside 17 runs-batted-in, both of which lead the Crossroads League. Meanwhile, Kolpien leads the league in several categories, including 25 hits, a batting average of .490, and 15 runs scored. TU’s sophomore sensation has now extended his hitting streak to 11-consecutive games, nine of which have come in the form of a multi-hit performance. His perfect 5-5 offensive showcase in game one against Olivet Nazarene served as a single-game career best.

Alongside Bass and Kolpien, freshman outfielder, Brayden Manning, put forth a remarkable performance throughout the day on Thursday as well. Manning went a combined 5-7 at the plate, driving in six RBI himself on three extra-base hits, including his second-career collegiate home run. TU’s freshman native of Lakeville, Minnesota, now sits second on the team with a .387 batting average, while having driven in 11 runs in just 31 at-bats.

As a team, the Trojans went 26-49 with runners on base, which marked a team batting average of .530. The Trojan bats also hit .429 with runners in scoring position, notching base knocks in 15 of 32 total chances. All of which is to say the Taylor lineup was burdensome for Tiger pitching all day long, one through nine.

On the mound, Kolpien (1-0) picked up the win in game one while Alec Holcomb (1-1) earned his first win of the season in game two.

Kolpien traversed four innings of work, allowing just one run to score on five base hits while racking up seven strikeouts. Holcomb, meanwhile, completed six innings for the Trojans, surrendering just one run himself while scattering seven base knocks.

Holcomb now leads the Trojan staff with 20.0 innings on the season, posting a 2.25 earned-run average through four starts. Kolpien, meanwhile, has tossed 11.0 innings while striking out 10.64 batters per nine innings of work.

Wes Hunt accumulated three innings on the bump in relief for TU in game one, while fellow freshman, Nick Crabtree, finished game two by completing a hitless seventh inning.

No. 24 Taylor (6-6) will look to extend its offensive dominance at home this season on Saturday, February 25, when the Trojans and RV Olivet Nazarene (6-6) square off for the second doubleheader of their four-game series. First pitch is slated for 12:00 pm at Winterholter Field.