LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Spalding University baseball team opened SLIAC play romping MacMurray, 7-2 and 12-2, Saturday afternoon at Derby City Field. The Golden Eagles improve to 12-5 and 2-0 in conference, while the Highlanders drop to 7-7 overall and 0-3 in the SLIAC.
The Golden Eagles used a big fifth inning to blow past the Highlanders, 7-2, in game one.
Jimi Keating (5-0) earned the win holding Mac to two runs, on nine hits, with eight strikeouts and no walks, in seven complete innings. Connor Jacobs (1-3) suffered the loss, giving up six runs, on seven hits to the Golden Eagles.
Blake Patterson led SU at the plate with three RBI. A trio of Eagles finished the game with two hits. Bruner led the way going 2-for-4 with two RBI, Matt Harper was 2-for-3 with a solo home run, and Jacob Woodruff went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base.
The Highlanders got on the board first with a Wyatt Logsdon RBI single up the middle, but SU answered in the bottom half of the inning when Harper lifted a ball over the left field wall to tie it, 1-1, through two innings. SU took a 2-1 lead in the third when Jeff Thompson raced home on a Bruner groundout to second. SU busted the game wide open with a four-run fifth inning. Bruner drove in Thompson again to get it started, and Blake Patterson capped off the inning with a three-run homer to make in 6-2. Each team added a run over the final two innings as SU won, 7-2.
In game two, the Golden Eagles blasted four home runs on their way to a 12-2 route ending the game early on the 10-after seven run-rule.
SLIAC Pitcher of the Week, Kyle Olliges (5-0) earned the win, limiting the Highlanders to two runs, while scattering six hits, striking out nine and walking one batter, in a complete game effort. Cory Steinhart (0-1) took the loss, giving up eight runs, on eight hits, including two home runs, in 4.0 innings.
The Golden Eagle bats were on fire, led by Kam Bruner, who went 3-for-5, with two home runs and four RBI. Blake Patterson also went 3-for-5 and added three RBI, and Jacob Woodruff went 3-for-5, scored three runs and stole a base. CJ Phillips and Austin Drake both went 2-for-4 on the day, with Phillips hitting his first collegiate home run.
Similar to game one, MacMurray struck first scoring on a single up the middle to make it 1-0, but SU answered in the home half of the inning when Phillips doubled scoring Dillon Sievert to tie the game 1-1. In the third, Bruner gave SU the lead with his first home run of the game, a two-run shot to right-center making the score, 3-1. Mac scored a run in the top of the fourth to cut Spalding's lead to a run, but the Golden Eagles exploded for nine unanswered runs over the next four innings to cruise to the 12-2 win.
The Golden Eagles will be back in action tomorrow hosting the final game of their series against MacMurray. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm EST at Derby City Field.