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| Brock Weirather's perfect game for Grinnell is the third perfect game in D-III Baseball in 2021 and the 18th since 2007. Grinnell athletics photo |
GRINNELL, Iowa - Perfection.
That one word sums up the pitching performance of Grinnell College baseball player Brock Weirather '21 in Sunday's opening game against Knox College at Pioneer Park.
The senior fired just the second perfect game in Pioneer history while guiding his team to a 13-0, seven-inning victory. Weirather needed just 83 pitches to accomplish the feat. He struck out 14 batters, which ranks fifth in program history.
Grinnell's only other perfect game was by Jake Chavez in 1999, and Sam Tinkham tossed a no-hitter in 2016.
Catcher Justin Williams '21 was on the receiving end of 19 fielding chances and 17 putouts, which rank fifth and seventh in program history, respectively.
While Weirather was sharp on the mound, Grinnell's offense did its part. Jared Booth '21 led the attack with three hits, while six others had two hits apiece in the 18-hit attack.
Grinnell went to work immediately, scoring three runs in the first inning on Booth's RBI double to left and Ian Brown's '24 two-run single to center. Booth made it 4-0 in the second on an RBI single to right, and Sean Richardson '23 added an RBI single to right in the fifth.
The Pioneers, 5-3 in the Midwest Conference South Division and overall, went wild in the sixth with eight runs. Weirather helped his own cause with a three-run triple to center, Brown plated another run on an RBI single to right, Williams blasted a two-run single to center, Richardson scored on an error and Matthew Inaba '22 hit an RBI single to center.
The climax came in the top of the seventh when Weirather induced a groundout and struck out the final two batters to complete the perfect game, sending the Pioneers into celebration.
In the second game, the Pioneers rallied with two runs in the bottom of the ninth to win 4-3 and complete the swep.
Knox, 0-12 in the MWC South and 1-17 overall, scored twice in the top of the third before Grinnell tied it in the bottom of the inning when Riley Guieb '21 hit a sacrifice fly to right and Quinton McNitt '21 had an RBI single to left.
The Prairie Fire made it 3-2 in the third and that lead held until the bottom of the ninth. Weirather led off the frame with a double and pinch runner Lucas Hadding '23 scored on Luke Porter's '23 RBI single. Pinch runner Josh Fournier '24 went to second on Zeke Taylor's '21 single to left, moved to third on Richardson's sacrifice and scored when Inaba hit an RBI single to right.
Josh Witte '24, the second of two Grinnell pitchers, earned the win. He fanned 11 in 5-? innings.
The Pioneers host Monmouth College next Saturday. The twin bill begins at noon.