JOLIET, Ill. – Zach Dobos threw his second straight complete game as IU South Bend eliminated Roosevelt in the CCAC Baseball Tournament on Saturday night, but the Titans run would end on Sunday, with a 7-5 loss to Judson.
Dobos struck out seven batters and worked round six base hits in an elimination game that remained scoreless until the bottom of the 7th, when the Titans (16-32-1) posted two runs on an RBI single from Brett Sikorski, and a Jake Vanderwoude groundout. IU South Bend pulled away in the 8th, scoring seven runs on five hits to build a 9-0 lead.
At the plate, IUSB cranked out 13 base hits, but just one extra-base hit, coming off of Colin Mack’s bat with a two-RBI double during the team’s 8th-inning rally. Mack finished 3-for-4 on the night, with two runs scored. Evan Allen and Kole Miller each finished 2-for-4 in the win.
On Sunday, the Titans faced Judson (19-27) in a rematch of the regular season finale from last week, in which the Eagles took a 1-0 win in 10 innings.
After a run in the top of the 1st put the Eagles in front, a five-run rally in the 3rd quickly put the Titans behind 6-0. In the 3rd and 5th innings, IU South Bend would hit a pair of singles, but were unable to get a run across the plate until the bottom of the 8th. Trailing 7-0, Brenden Bell would hit a three-run home run after Owen Benson and Mack reached base with a pair of leadoff singles to cut the deficit.
In the bottom of the 9th, the first three batters would reach base with Allen scoring an RBI single to make it a 7-4 game. Mack’s groundout would score Donnie Necas, but the Eagles would work out of the rally to secure the win.
Benson led the offense, going 3-for-4, while Mack, Bell, and Miller all had two hits apiece in the game. Alex Babbitt has a strong outing in relief, pitching 6.2 innings without an earned run allowed while striking out four.