Wildcats Get Off to Hot Start In Conference Play With Four-Game Sweep of Culver-Stockton

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – Getting off to a hot start in conference play, the Baker baseball team swept Culver-Stockton on Friday and Sunday, winning by scores of 8-7, 6-2, 4-3 and 5-2.

Game One (W, 8-7 – 8 Innings)

Camden Karlin got the start on the hill in game one, and pitched 5.2 innings and struck out three batters. Luke Smith then pitched 1.1 innings before Logan Whelan entered for the eighth and came away with the win.

Offensively, Baker had 15 hits with Quinton Graham going 4-for-5 on the day, while Tanner Twillman, Darwin Oleaga and Peyton Lewis also had multi-hit games. Lewis also led Baker in game one with three RBI.

A leadoff home run for Culver-Stockton put Baker in a hole early, but Baker got that run back in the bottom of the first. Taylor Foss then singled in the bottom of the second inning to give Baker the lead, 2-1.

Oleaga then added to Baker's lead with a double, followed by a sac-fly from Lewis as Baker held a 4-1 lead after just three innings. Tucker Flory was able to add one more run to the lead on a sac-fly, making it 5-1 heading into the fifth inning.

Culver scored one in the fifth and five more in the sixth to take a 7-5 lead, but a single to right field by Lewis scored two and sent the game to extra innings tied at seven. In the bottom of the eighth, with a runner on third, Brian Hawkins hit a sac-fly and walked it off in game one, giving Baker an 8-7 win.

Game Two (W, 6-2)

Christian Spitz was big on the mound for Baker in game two, throwing six innings and allowing just two runs while striking out nine batters. Jake Miller then entered for the final inning and allowed just one hit to close out the game. Quinton Graham was the only Wildcat to have multiple hits in game two, while John Raybourn drove in three runs.

Culver-Stockton got the scoring going in just the first inning, but Baker got that run back in the bottom of the first with a double to centerfield from Tucker Flory to make it 1-1. The very next inning, Taylor Foss grounded out to shortstop, but it scored a run as Baker took a 2-1 lead after just two innings.

Graham then homered in the third inning to extend Baker's lead to 3-1. After Culver-Stockton scored one to bring the score to 3-2, Raybourn put the game away with a three-run home run to right field, giving Baker the 6-2 win.

Game Three (W, 4-3 – 8 Innings)

Caden Pogue pitched 5.2 innings in game three of the series, striking out eight batters. Logan Whelan pitched just 2.1 innings, but came away with the win after Baker won in the eighth inning. Peyton Lewis had a big game at the plate as he went 3-for-4 and scored two runs.

Neither team scored for the first five innings of the game, but in the top of the sixth inning, Culver-Stockton scratched across three runs and took a 3-0 lead. With two runners on in the bottom of the sixth, Tanner Twillman hit a double to left center and Baker got on the board, cutting the lead to 3-1.

With the Wildcats just three outs away from losing game three, Baker scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh on errors to tie the game at three and send it to extra innings. In the bottom of the eighth, Cooper Karlin hit a bloop singled into shallow centerfield to score a run and give Baker the 4-3 walk off win.

Game Four (W, 5-2)

In the fourth and final game of the series, Jaxon Kutch threw 5.0 innings and didn't allow a run, while Gabriel Lopez and Luke Smith combined to pitch the final two innings. Baker had 11 hits in the game, with Graham, Hawkins, Raybourn, and Lewis each had two hits in the game.

This game, Baker was able to score first, scoring one on a wild pitch and one more on a single to left field from Hawkins to take an early 2-0 lead. Baker then tacked on another run in the bottom of the third on a solo home run from Hawkins, pushing the lead to 3-0.

After scoring two more runs in the fifth inning, Culver-Stockton scored two in the top of the sixth, but could not score anymore as Baker completed the sweep and won game four, 5-2.

Baker is now 11-8 on the season and begins conference play with a record of 4-0. The Wildcats are now back in action on Wednesday, March 15, when they travel to Leavenworth, Kan., to take on St. Mary at 4 p.m.

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