QUINCY, Ill. – The Vincennes University baseball team returned to the diamond Monday afternoon for the final two games of their four-game Mid-West Athletic Conference (MWAC) opener against John Wood Community College in Quincy, Ill.
The Trailblazers battled but came up on the wrong end of a 6-4 final score in game one before dropping game two on the day 15-3.
The day did not get off to the best of starts for the Trailblazers, with John Wood breaking the game open early with five runs in the first inning.
Vincennes looked to respond by getting runners in scoring position in the fourth and fifth but were unable to push a run across.
John Wood would add another run in the bottom of the fifth to take a 6-0 lead over VU.
Vincennes would finally get on the scoreboard and look to complete a big comeback in the seventh.
Sophomores Nate Montgomery (Lexington, Ind.) and Damon Kay (Spencer, Ind.) opened the seventh inning with back to back singles.
After another single by sophomore Yancey Edlin (Pekin, Ind.) loaded the bases, Vincennes would get on the board with a bases loaded walk by sophomore Brody Fessel (DePauw, Ind.).
This was followed by an RBI pinch hit single by freshman Carter Gricius (Scottsburg, Ind.) and a sacrifice fly by sophomore Bradyn Douglas (Frankton, Ind.).
Vincennes would cut the John Wood lead down to two later in the inning after a single by freshman Jevan Andrews (Hobart, Ind.) and an RBI pinch hit single by freshman Jaret Phillips (Jeffersonville, Ind.).
This would be as close as the Blazers would get, however, as John Wood closed out the game 6-4, taking game one of the day.
Freshman Eastin Whaley (Kokomo, Ind.) got the start on the mound in game one Monday for the Trailblazers, throwing one inning, allowing five runs, four earned, on four hits and striking out two.
Freshman Jakob Hoyer (Georgetown, Ind.) came in out of the bullpen and settled the John Wood offense down during the middle innings, throwing four innings, allowing one run on two hits and striking out two.
Freshman Wyatt Burris (Farmland, Ind.) came in to pitch the sixth inning, striking out one and retiring the side without allowing a hit.
The Trailblazers looked to carry some of this momentum into game two of the day but once again found themselves playing from behind early.
John Wood opened the scoring in game two with three runs in the first and pulled away in the second with a big seven-run inning to take a commanding 10-0 lead.
Vincennes would get on the scoreboard in the third inning after back-to-back doubles to lead off the inning by Bradyn Douglas and Jevan Andrews, Douglas coming around to score on Andrews' double.
Andrews would score later in the inning on an RBI single by Carter Gricius, giving him two RBIs on the day.
After Nate Montgomery reached on a fielder's choice, sophomore Bryce Gross (Bridgeport, Ill.) would drive him in with an RBI double of his own to cut the deficit to 10-3.
This would be as close as the Trailblazers would get though as John Wood got two of those runs back in the bottom of the third and would add three more in the fourth before closing out the game in the fifth by the final score of 15-3.
Freshman Ty Stultz (Terre Haute, Ind.) got the start in game two for VU, throwing one-plus inning, allowing six runs, five earned on five hits and striking out one.
Freshman Ryan Rayburn (Columbus, Ind.) would allow four runs on one hit while picking up one strikeout in one-third of an inning.
Freshman Kyle Holder (Mount Vernon, Ind.) would take over for Rayburn and throw two innings, allowing five runs, three earned on five hits.
Sophomore Yancey Edlin stepped in pick up the final two outs of the fourth inning, allowing one hit and striking out two in two-thirds of an inning.
Vincennes will look to regroup and bounce back in their next game as the Trailblazers hit the road again Tuesday, March 11 for a tough road test against NJCAA Division I No. 16 ranked John A. Logan College in Carterville, Ill.
This will be a single nine-inning game with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. eastern.
VU will then return home to Jerry Blemker Field this weekend for another Mid-West Athletic Conference showdown, this time hosting Lewis & Clark Community College in the annual 'Battle of the Trailblazers'.
This four-game series will begin Friday, March 14 at 1 p.m. eastern, with games three and four scheduled for Saturday, March 15 with first pitch set for 12 p.m. eastern.
BOX SCORE
GAME ONE
VU (8-8, 0-3) – 000 000 4 – 4
John Wood – 500 010 x – 6
VINCENNES HITTING
RBI – Douglas, Phillips, Fessel, Gricius. SB – Douglas. Sac Fly – Douglas.
GAME TWO
VU (8-9, 0-4) – 003 00 – 3
John Wood – 372 3x – 15
VINCENNES HITTING
2B – Douglas, Gross, Andrews. RBI – Andrews, Gricius, Gross. SB – Andrews, Phillips.