ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA — The Central College baseball team rose to the occasion Sunday afternoon and secured a road sweep at Bethel University, winning 5-1 and 4-3.
The Royals (24-6) sit atop the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and had won nine of its last 10 games before Sunday's doubleheader. The Dutch (13-18) played a pair of complete games to stun the home school.
"We put it all together today," coach Casey Klunder said. "It was maybe the best day of baseball we've played. We played very complimentary baseball in all phases of the game.
"The difference today was that we finished games. The guys stayed locked in and finished what they started.
Dcclan O'Hare (junior, Los Angeles, Calif., John Marshall HS) was the winning pitcher in game one, throwing a complete seven-inning game while scattering four hits and striking out three with just one walk.
"That was the best he's looked for us," Klunder said. "He keeps getting better and better and he was very effective on the mound today."
With 4.0 innings of strong relief, Parker Jones (sophomore, Verona, Wis., Verona Area HS) won game two. He walked two, struck out two and allowed two runs in four hits. Wes Hamor (freshman, Tama, East Marshall HS) started the game and allowed one run in the first three innings.
"Parker came in and did a wonderful job," Klunder said. "He attacked the strike zone and his breaking ball was better than what we had seen previously. Wes also gave us a good start. Those two combined for a good pitching outing against one of the better offenses we've seen."
In game one, Central took a 2-1 lead into the sixth inning. An RBI double by left fielder Ian Boline (senior, Alburnett) was followed by a two-run single by first baseman Landon Vander Leest (senior, Pella) to break the game open.
"Landon had a perfectly timed hit to give us a couple of insurance runs there," Klunder said.
Quinn Miller (senior, designated hitter, Cedar Rapids, Xavier HS) had an RBI double in the sixth inning of game two. Lucas Farren (fifth year, second baseman, Yorkville, Ill.) added an RBI double in the seventh and O'Hare had an RBI single to give Central the runs it needed to hang on to a 4-3 lead after two Royal runs in the bottom of the seventh.
"We strung better at-bats together up and down the lineup," Klunder said, "When you do that, you give yourself a chance to win."
O'Hare led the Dutch with four hits on the day and catcher Dom DeLaPaz (freshman, Davenport, West HS) had three. Boline had an RBI in each game.
Klunder was complimentary of Bethel for scheduling a non-conference weekend series late in the season and of the school's facility.
"It was really beneficial to play a weekend series on turf," Klunder said. "In addition to the three varsity games, we also got a full JV game in."
Central stays in non-conference play by hosting Grinnell College Tuesday at 3 p.m.