ANDERSON, Indiana – The Earlham College baseball team completed a three-game sweep of Anderson University on Saturday, taking both games of the doubleheader 10-3 and 11-6 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) action.
In the game one win, both teams plated three runs in the first inning, but neither squad scored over the next three innings. The Quakers took a 4-3 lead on an RBI-single from freshman Isaiah Shake in the top of the fifth inning, and after holding the Ravens scoreless in the bottom half of the frame, Earlham broke the contest wide open in the sixth.
The Quakers batted around and scored runs on RBI-doubles from senior Eric Elkus and sophomore Addison Robertson as well as an RBI-single from junior Ian Bach. In total, Earlham scored five runs on three hits and one Anderson error.
Freshman pitcher Colin Greve did not allow Anderson to score again as he improved to 2-1 on the season. Sophomore Walter Talcott pitched the last two innings allowing two hits. John Becker took the loss for Anderson, allowing five earned runs in 5.2 innings pitched.
The Quakers were led by Elkus who finished 4-4 with two RBIs, three doubles, and four runs scored. Robertson added a 3-5 performance with three RBIs. The Ravens had 11 hits by 11 different players.
In the game two triumph, the Quakers scored three runs in the first inning, but surrendered two in the bottom of the inning. After both teams scored a run in the third inning, Shake delivered a two-RBI single in the fifth to put Earlham ahead 6-3.
Similar to the first inning, the Ravens had the answer once again, scoring two runs in the bottom of the fifth to get within a single run. Senior Brennan Laird stretched Earlham's lead to 7-5 with an RBI-single in the sixth, but Anderson responded with a run in the bottom of the seventh.
Leading 7-6, Elkus doubled to right center in the eighth, scoring two runs for the Quakers. After freshman Spencer Owen shut down Anderson's offense in the bottom of the eighth, Earlham plated two runs in the ninth to seal the win.
Freshman Jordan Christian earned his third collegiate victory for Earlham, striking out six in five innings of work. Owen earned the two-inning save, his second career save.
Shake provided the offense for Earlham in game two, finishing the contest 4-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Senior Nate Lynch added a 3-6 performance with a stolen base. Elkus also drove in two runs, bringing his season total to 45 RBIs, two more than his record-setting year last season.
Branton Sanders led the Ravens' offense with three hits and three runs scored.
Earlham (18-11, 13-6 HCAC) sweeps an HCAC weekend series for the first time since beating Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in a three-game set during the 2014 season. The Quakers return to Randal R. Sadler Stadium for the first time in three weeks against Bluffton University on Tuesday.