Ravens outlast Pride in extra innings through blustering winds
PEOSTA, Iowa - For the first time this season, the Clarke University baseball team was able to play a home game at A.J. Spiegel Park but were unable to take a win on Thursday afternoon as they fell 3-2 in 10 innings to Benedictine College.
Strong wind gusts was the stroy out in Peosta as conditions were brisk and breezy all game, creating difficulty for pitchers, hitters, and fielders alike for the extra innings contest. Due to the weather conditions the planned doubleheader on Thursday was altered for the single game and Saturday's doubleheader to wrap up the series has been moved to Atchison, Kan. on Saturday.
Back to the game, Clarke was able to score the first two runs of the contest with one-run innings in the bottom of the first and bottom of the third innings with both runs scoring in an unearned fashion.
In the first, Daniel Phyle would reach on a one-out walk before stealing second and being moved over to third for Bryce Hinton to ground a ball to short that would be thrown in the dirt and not scooped out for Hinton to reach via an error and Phyle to score.
The second run of the game for the Pride was scored following Greg Bennett reaching first on an error as Bryce Simon would single him home following a sacrifice bunt and ground out that got Bennett to third with two outs.
The Ravens would score the final three runs of the game as Jacob Slaten would line a solo home run out to right fight as the wind played tricks on that ball before it went over the wall and an error on a fly ball to right field with two outs would score the tying run in the top of the sixth inning.
Clarke had a chance to retake the lead in the bottom of the sixth following a leadoff walk, a balk, and a dropped third strike that led to a throwing error but a well positioned back up and strong throw home cut Bubba Thompson at the plate trying to score from second on the play to keep it tied as the next better would ground into a double play to end the inning.
As extra innings stayed scoreless until the 10th, it would be a hunter Moffet two-out RBI double with runners on first and second that would give Benedictine their first lead of the game that they would close out in the bottom half.
The Pride's combination of Tyson Tucker and Isaac Rohde had strong outings as Tucker started and went 5.1 innings of three-hit ball while allowing two runs, one earned, while only walking one batter and striking out nine Ravens. Rohde would go 3.2 innings out of the pen to keep the score tied as he allowed no runs on three hits with a walk and five strikeouts.
Blake Patterson for Benedictine went six strong innings out of the bullpen striking out seven while only allowing one hit and walking two batters to keep the Ravens in the game.
Saturday's doubleheader in Atchison is scheduled for a first pitch at 12:00 p.m. CT at Laughlin Field at Olsen Stadium at Benedictine.