Fort Myers, FL – The Prairie Fire notched an impressive 8-7 victory against Otterbein University in the final game of the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic on Sunday.
Knox (4-4) snapped a three-game skid after falling to Otterbein 13-3 on Saturday. The loss was the first for the Cardinals in Florida and ended a 12 game winning streak. Otterbein (13-2) entered Sunday's contest against the Prairie Fire with a team batting average of .332 and 128 runs scored while opponents were hitting only .222 and scored 38 times through the first 14 games.
Despite the Cardinals' gaudy numbers Knox jumped on them early, plating a run in the bottom of the first inning followed by a five-run second frame for a 6-1 lead.
The Prairie Fire got on the board after junior Jackson White (Grayslake, IL, Grayslake Central) doubled with one out in the first inning, advanced to third base on a single by senior Caleb Weaver (Galesburg, IL, Galesburg), and then scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by junior Erik Smoy (Hoffman Estates, IL, Hoffman Estates).
Otterbein tied the game at 1-1 in the second inning against sophomore hurler Nathaniel Grady (Antelope, CA, Oakmont). Grady, making his third start of the season for Knox, allowed the first three Cardinal hitters to reach in the second on a pair of walks and a single. Otterbein knotted the score at 1-apiece on a sac fly to center field. A line-out double play got the Prairie Fire out of the inning without any more damage.
The big second inning for Knox began with a one out walk to junior Michael O'Connell (Park Ridge, IL, Maine South). The Prairie Fire loaded the bases when first-year Mitch Weissenhofer (Homewood, IL, Marian Catholic) singled and senior Michael Schroeder (Glenview, IL, Glenbrook South) was hit by a pitch. O'Connell scored to give Knox a 2-1 lead when junior Phil Tallman (Park Ridge, IL, Maine South) walked. White came through with a two-run double for a 4-1 advantage, and two more runs scored on a ground out by Weaver and a single by senior Ryan Hoffman (Sugar Grove, IL, Marmion Academy) to extend the lead to 6-1.
Otterbein countered with three runs off of Grady in the top of the third to close the deficit to 6-4, and then tied the game at 6-6 with two more tallies in the fifth inning.
Grady surrendered five runs, four hits, and five walks in four innings.
The Prairie Fire regained the lead at 7-6 in the seventh inning. Weaver led off with a single and moved to second on a sac bunt by Smoy. Hoffman walked before senior Kyle Walenga (San Francisco, CA, Waldorf) reached on an infield error that scored Weaver.
Knox took an important two run lead at 8-6 in the eighth inning on an RBI single by White with two outs that scored Schroeder, who was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game.
A double play with junior closer Dustin Armstrong (Cincinnati, OH, Country Day) on the mound for the Prairie Fire in the bottom of the ninth helped secure the victory.
Senior Gabe Ayers (Hanna City, IL, Farmington), who came on in relief for Grady in the fifth inning, issued a lead-off walk. The first batter Armstrong faced singled, putting runners on first and second for Otterbein with nobody out. Armstrong got the next hitter to ground into a key 6-4-3 double play, leaving a runner on third with two outs. The Cardinals cut the Knox lead to 8-7 on a wild pitch before Armstrong recorded the third out and earned his second save of the season on an infield pop up.
Ayers (1-0) worked four solid innings of relief to pick up the win. He allowed two runs and four hits with a pair of walks and three strikeouts. Armstrong surrendered just one hit in his one inning on the mound.
White had a big day at the plate for the Prairie Fire. He was 3-for-5 with three RBIs and scored two runs. Schroeder also scored twice for Knox while Weaver added two hits, an RBI, and a run.