ELSAH, Ill. – The 20th-ranked Spalding baseball team split a doubleheader at Principia Saturday afternoon to take the season series over the Panthers. The Eagles dropped the seven-inning opener on a controversial call in bottom of the seventh on what looked like a good tag by catcher Zane Baker, but the home plate umpire called the runner safe as the Panthers stole the win, 4-3. The Golden Eagles bounced back in game two routing the Panthers 12-4 to take the series. Spalding outscored the Panthers 26-10 over three games to improve to 25-7 (12-3 SLIAC) on the season.
THE BASICS
SCORES: GM1: PC 4 – SU 3 | GM2: SU 12 – PC 4
LOCATION: Cheatham Stadium | Elsah, Ill.
RECORDS: Spalding 25-7 (12-3 SLIAC) | Principia 18-13 (9-8 SLIAC)
GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS
- The Golden Eagles got on the scoreboard on the first at bat of the game when leadoff hitter Garrett Wilson homered to put SU up 1-0.
- Following a Panther run in the third and fifth innings, Spalding scored a pair of runs in the top of the seventh to pull ahead, 3-2. With runners on first and second, an error at first following an Eric Meyer bunt allowed Matt Harper and Clay Kelly to score while moving Meyer to third. The Golden Eagles looked poised to add at least one more run with Meyer on third and no outs, but Meyer was thrown out at home on a Joe Hatcher fielder's choice saving the run.
GAME ONE STAT LEADERS
- Garrett Wilson led the Golden Eagles at the plate going 2-for-4 including a home run and one RBI.
- Eric Meyer also had a pair of hits going 2-for-3 with a double.
- Aaron Mitchell (1-1) suffered the loss allowing two runs, one earned, on three hits, while striking out two batters in one and two-thirds innings of relief action.
FOR THE FOES
- Jake Kearney led the Panthers going 2-for-4, while Aleq McMullin had a two runs batted in.
- Sean Hannan (2-0) earned the win giving up two runs, on no hits, in one inning of action.
GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS
- The Golden Eagles got off to another fast start in the game two. Clay Kelly hit his second homer of the weekend also bringing Garrett Wilson across the plate.
- Kelly and Wilson hooked up for another run in the fifth when Kelly singled scoring Wilson from third.
- Spalding answered a Panthers grand slam in the fifth with a five-run seventh to pull back in front, 8-4. The Eagles juiced the bases to start the inning, then Harper drew a base on balls to bring the tying run across the plate and Kelly was wore a pitch to give SU the lead. A Meyer sacrifice drove in Wilson, an error at first on Joe Hatcher at bat scored Harper and a Quenton Brownlee single brought Kelly across the plate for the final run of the inning.
- SU put the game out of reach with a four-run top of the ninth. Cody Milliner doubled, moved to third and scored following a pair of wild pitches. Jacob Reece capped off the scoring with a three-run bomb bringing in Brownlee and Zane Baker.
GAME TWO STAT LEADERS
- Clay Kelly drove in a team-high four runs going 3-for-4 with a home run.
- Leadoff man Garrett Wilson went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate scoring three runs and stealing a base.
- Jacob Reece finished 1-for-2 with a three RBI and a home run, while Quenton Brownlee went 2-for-4 with one RBI.
- Dillon Sievert (2-0) earned his second win of the season holding the Panthers to four runs, three earned, on three hits, while striking out seven batters, in 6.0 innings pitched.
FOR THE FOES
- Game one hero Aleq McMullin led the Panthers at the plate in game two going 1-for-3 with a grand slam home run. McMullin (4-5) also took the loss on the mound allowing eight runs, six earned, on eight hits, in 6.0 innings pitched.
UP NEX
- Spalding will be back at home this week with a five-game homestand. The Eagles kick it off with a midweek doubleheader against Eureka Wednesday at 2:00 pm EST, and cap off the week with a Saturday/Sunday East Division series against the Blackburn Beavers.