Wildcats Sweep Peru State in Home Non-Conference Set

BALDWIN CITY - After going 3-1 at home this past weekend, Baker baseball took care of business in a quick-turnaround matchup against Peru State here Tuesday as the Wildcats swept the Bobcats in a non-conference doubleheader on Sauder Field.

BU scored exactly five runs in both games and made the most of a solid all-around pitching performance to earn a 5-1 win in game one before finishing off the sweep with a 5-2 victory in the second game.

Ashton McCurty opened things up with a terrific start on the bump for the Wildcats, going six innings and allowing just one run on four hits while racking up eight strikeouts. He started off the day by striking out the first six batters he faced in a nearly flawless first two innings.

Meanwhile, Baker's offense got to work right off the bat with Jackson Truman belting a two-run home run in the bottom of the first to spot the Wildcats an early 2-0 lead.

After a Peru State run in the third, Jon Jenkins pushed BU's lead back out to two runs with a leadoff solo homer that hit off the light pole in left center to make it, 3-1.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Wildcats brought home another run on a bases-loaded walk and then Jenkins earned his second RBI of the game on a ground ball to cap the scoring.

McCurty tallied his eighth and final strikeout to end the top of the sixth before turning things over to Peyton Bowers, who worked a scoreless seventh to complete McCurty's second win of the spring.

Baker took control in the opening frame of game two after getting another first-inning homer from the meat of its order as TJ Armstrong sent a three-run blast over the fence in right center to give the Bobcats an early deficit for the second straight game.

Following a Cade Adams walk, Connor Wells smacked an RBI double to make it a four-run first for the Wildcats, giving their game-two starter Calvin Urish a quick 4-0 lead.

Urish pitched the first three innings and allowed just one hit and one run, which came on a sac fly in the top of the third. Brady Friend came on in relief in the top of the fourth and struck out the side in his only inning of work.

In the bottom of the fourth, Tyson Kiser soared a ball deep enough to score Caden Deeney to increase BU's lead to 5-1.

After the Bobcats plated a run in the sixth, Vaughn Wells came in and worked around a harmless one-out single to earn his first save of the season and close the books on Baker's fourth straight win.

Armstrong and Jenkins each notched their fifth home run of the season, joining Camden Karlin and Tyson Wallace in a four-way tie for the team lead. Truman's dinger was his fourth of the year after the junior slugger opened up the season by homering in back-to-back games.

Up next, Baker remains at home and will jump back into conference action with a matchup against Benedictine this weekend (March 28-29). Both doubleheaders will start at 1 p.m. on Sauder Field.

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