Senior Day Sweep Secures Four-Game Split With MNU This Past Weekend

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – Despite dropping the first two games of the series on Friday, the Baker baseball team bounced back on Saturday to sweep the doubleheader and complete the series split with MNU on senior weekend.

Game One (L, 6-5)

To start the weekend, Caden Pogue took the hill and threw six innings allowing five runs on eight hits while striking out four. Logan Whelan then entered the game for the final inning. Baker had seven hits in the game with Quinton Graham and Taylor Foss each picking up two hits.

An RBI single from Foss got the scoring going in the second inning, and then two more singles from Graham and Ryan Wetzel gave the Wildcats a strong 3-0 lead after just two innings of play. MNU got on the board in the top of the third on a solo home run, but Foss got that run right back for Baker in the bottom half of the third on an RBI double to extend the lead back to 4-1.

Baker's lead dwindled quickly as MNU tied it at four in the top of the fourth, but Baker quickly regained the lead on a solo home run from Tucker Flory to lead 5-4 heading into the fifth. The Pioneers then tied it in the top of the fifth and took the lead in the top of the seventh on a sac-fly and eventually won game one, 6-5.

Game Two (L, 7-4)

Jaxon Kutch took the hill in game two and pitched five innings and allowed just two runs on seven hits before Luke Smith and Jake Miller each pitched an inning in the game. Baker had just four hits in the game, with two of those hits coming from Peyton Lewis.

Baker fell behind early on a double steal, but with the Wildcats trailing, 1-0, a Peyton Lewis single and a Ryan Wetzel two-run home run gave Baker a 3-1 lead after three innings. Baker then added a run in the bottom of the fifth to extend their lead to 4-1.

Baker's scoring would stop their as MNU would score six unanswered runs as they went on to win game two of the series, 7-4 and take a 2-0 lead in the series.

Game Three (W, 7-6)

With the Wildcats needing to pick up a win in game three, Christian spitz was called on to start on the mound. He pitched 5.1 innings and struck out five batters before Gabriel Lopez entered and threw the final 1.2 innings. Foss once again led the team with two hits in the game, going a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate.

It didn't take long for the Pioneers to pick up right where they left off on Friday, but with Baker trailing 4-0, a bases loaded hit by pitch got Baker on the board, 4-1. After MNU stretched the lead to 5-1 in the third, Baker scored one in the third and then four in the fourth to take a 6-5 lead on a double down the right field line from Brian Hawkins.

After adding what proved to be a much-needed security run in the fifth, MNU got runners on first and second with two outs. Drew Woodley then doubled to right field, but Baker put together a perfect relay from right field and threw out the tying run at the plate to end the game, giving Baker a 7-6 win in game three of the series.

Game Four (W, 5-3)

Prior to game four of the series, the Baker baseball team recognized 16 seniors that then played their final game at Sauder Field. Those seniors include Drake Seetin, Tucker Flory, Ian Henricks, Cooper Karlin, John Raybourn, Logan Whelan, Hank Dobson, Brian Hawkins, Christian Spitz, Ryan Wetzel, Taylor Foss, Quinton Graham, Jake Jarrell, Jaxon Kutch, Gabriel Lopez, and Jared Parenti.

Three seniors pitched their final game at Sauder Field on Saturday as Hank Dobson and Jake Jarrell each threw three innings before Logan Whelan pitched the final inning. Baker had seven hits in the game, with seven different players having one hit.

MNU was able to take a 1-0 lead in the second, but it wasn't until the fifth inning that Baker got on the board with a single from Hawkins to tie the game at one. Baker then added three more runs in the fifth on a single from John Raybourn and a groundout from Parenti to take a 4-1 lead.

After a solo home run from the Pioneers cut the lead to 4-2, Quinton Graham stretched the lead back to three runs with a single to center field to make it 5-2. MNU was able to get one run in the seventh but couldn't complete the comeback as Baker win game four of the series, 5-3 and split the series, 2-2.

Baker is now 25-19 on the season and 17-10 in Heart of America play. They will be back in action on April 28-29, when they travel to Springfield, Mo., to take on Evangel in the final regular season series of the season.

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