Kolpien Becomes Program’s All-Time Hits Leader as Trojans Down Pilots
MISHAWAKA, Ind. – Senior Kaleb Kolpien became the Trojans’ all-time hits leader in the series opener Thursday as No. 13 Taylor (26-5, 17-1 CL) downed Bethel (10-16, 5-13) by finals of 7-4 and 19-6.
Kolpien collected career hit No. 281 to break the tie atop the program’s hits list on an RBI single to center field in game one that gave the Trojans a 1-0 lead.
Taylor added another run in the third frame and was ahead 3-0 in the fifth inning when Fletcher Roemmich had a two-RBI two-bagger to make it a 5-0 TU lead.
BU came back in the bottom of fifth when, given an extra out, it put up a four-spot to threaten the visitors’ lead, 5-4.
Gabel Pentecost (8-1) ended that frame and started the sixth inning with strikeouts, completing six frames on the day with two earned runs allowed. The junior totaled 11 strikeouts for a double-digit strikeout total in consecutive starts, and he moved into sixth on the program’s all-time strikeouts list with 231 in his career.
Mason David doubled to drive in a run in the eighth inning, and Roemmich recorded his second two-RBI double of the game when he gave TU a pair of insurance runs in the ninth, 7-4.
Jake Boyer held it down for Taylor over the last three innings, allowing just one hit and picking up three strikeouts to log his second save of the season.
Roemmich led the Trojans with three hits – all doubles – in the opener, though Kolpien, Brayden Manning and Rylee Singleton joined him with multi-hit performances.
Game two saw TU hit over .500 (20-for-39) as the lineup notched a pair of seven-run innings.
Chase Long kickstarted the scoring with a two-run homer in the second inning, an oddly familiar career-first for the transfer catcher.
Luke Sutter and Ben Kennedy produced run-scoring hits in the third to give TU a 5-0 advantage.
On the mound, Brody Fine (4-0) continued his dominance for Taylor with eight strikeouts across five innings of work. Fine worked out of trouble in the fourth inning and bounced back with a pair of strikeouts in the fifth, ending his day with just three hits and one earned run given up.
By Fine’s final inning of work, the hit parade had begun for the Trojan lineup as it put up the first of two seven-run frames in the top of the fifth. Kennedy and Manning highlighted the inning with RBI-doubles, while Nate Simpson, Kolpien and Luke Picchiotti each also had run-scoring hits.
Kennedy and Long added on to the Purple and Grey lead early in the top of the seventh, 15-3. Drew Loy and Hobie Raikes each singled to then load the bases for Parker Reinke, and the freshman outfielder uncorked his third homer of the season – this one a grand slam – in just 17 at-bats to lift TU to 19 runs in the game.
Lane Lewis put the finishing touches on the doubleheader sweep, pitching the last two innings.
Kennedy had a three-hit, five-RBI nightcap to pace the Trojans. Picchiotti also collected three hits, as David, Kolpien and Manning each had multi-hit games in the blowout.
Taylor and Bethel conclude the series with a doubleheader Friday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. in Mishawaka, Indiana.