TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Earlham College baseball team advanced to the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament championship round by defeating Transylvania University 12-2 on Friday evening.

The victory over the Pioneers was the second for the Quakers' in as many days. Earlham defeated Transylvania 12-6 in the opening round of the HCAC Tournament yesterday (Thursday).

Earlham opened the scoring in the third inning with RBI hits from junior Matt Barger and senior Brandon Smalling along with a Pioneer error. In total, the Quakers scored three runs on three hits.

The Quakers took a 4-0 lead on an RBI-single from junior Cody Krumlauf in the sixth inning, but broke the game wide open in the seven. Junior Nate Lynch opened the frame with a single, and scored on the next at bat as junior Brennan Laird tripled to straight away center field. Smalling was hit by a pitch in the next at bat, putting runners on the corners. Junior Eric Elkus followed with his 10th home run of the season, a three-run shot run to left center. The three RBIs for Elkus brings his season total to 41, a new program record. Senior Devin Spurgon also hit a home run in the inning.

Leading 9-0, both team teams scored a run in the eighth inning while the Quakers added two runs in the ninth on a triple from Barger.

Senior Bryce Rainey earned the win, allowing five hits and striking out three in seven innings of work. Junior John Cornett completed the final two innings for the Quakers.

Earlham finished with 13 hits as a team compared to eight for Transylvania. Nine Quakers finished with a hit with Barger, Laird, Smalling, and Elkus finished with two hits each.

Earlham (29-13) will face Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in the HCAC Tournament championship round at noon tomorrow (Saturday). The Quakers, who fell to the Fightin' Engineers 4-2 on Friday afternoon, will need to defeat Rose-Hulman twice to win the HCAC Tournament.