Wildcats Take Four Against Statesmen, Earn Second Straight Home Sweep

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. - After going 4-0 in its home series against Missouri Valley a couple weeks ago, Baker baseball swept the second straight conference team to come to Sauder Field as the Wildcats won all four of their games against William Penn this past weekend in Baldwin City.

The Wildcats scored at least eight runs and held the Statesmen to three or less runs in three of the four games. Outfielders Jon Jenkins and Tanner Twillman combined to hit .434 at the plate (10-for-23) and drive in 13 runs with Jenkins logging three straight multi-RBI games and Twillman closing out the series with three RBI in the finale.

Game 1 - BU 8, WPU 2
The BU offense came thru with a late-game rally to back up another solid outing from game one starter Caden Pogue, who notched his second straight complete game victory and his fourth win in his past five starts.

After WPU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, Twillman bombed a two-run home run to the top of the light pole in left field to put BU out in front, 2-1 after an inning of play. With the Statesmen tying things up in the second, Pogue and WPU starter Abel Madueno exchanged scoreless frames until the Wildcats broke the 2-2 deadlock in the bottom of the fifth.

A leadoff single from Sevon Battle sparked the big fifth inning as he and Twillman scored on Eli Young's two-run single to give Baker the lead. Battle fueled the BU rally in the sixth inning as well, sneaking an RBI double down the line before being driven in by Young for the second straight inning. Kolden Howerton knocked in the final run to seal Baker's 8-2 win in the series opener.

Game 2 - BU 3, WPU 2
Baker put on another impressive pitching performance and got a game-winning hit from Peyton Sparks in the bottom of the sixth to complete the comeback in game two.

The Statesmen scored a run in the first and third before Jenkins' ground-rule double in the bottom of the third brought things to a 2-2 standstill for the second straight game. BU starter Evan Gottstein pitched 4.1 innings before Kole Starlin came in for relief in the bottom of the fifth.

With Jenkins' game-tying hit in the third coming with two outs, Howerton lined a two-out single to right field to start another two-out rally for BU in the bottom of the sixth. After a failed pickoff attempt allowed Howerton to move into scoring position, Sparks delivered the game-winner on a high-bouncing chopper that reached center field and allowed Howerton to race home.

Game 3 - BU 8, WPU 5
Momentum carried over to Sunday's doubleheader as Baker capitalized on a five-run third inning to claim its second straight come-from-behind victory. After getting a save in game two, Gage Callaghan tacked on another 1.2 scoreless innings in relief in game three.

A two-run first inning for BU softened the blow of a WPU side that scored five runs in the first three innings. For the second straight game, Jenkins smoked a game-tying, two-run double to tie things up at 2-2 in the bottom of the first before the Statesmen took a 5-2 lead heading into the third.

After Young picked up his fourth RBI of the series, Sparks and Seth Brown each drove in a pair of runs as part of the game-swinging third inning for BU with Brown's two-run single launching the Wildcats in front, 7-5. Twillman added another run in the sixth and Ty Clark brushed off a leadoff walk in the seventh to earn his first save of the season.

Game 4 - BU 10, WPU 3
The Wildcats broke through for their highest-scoring game of the series in Sunday's finale with Twillman recording at least three RBI for the fourth time this year. Trent Davidson allowed only one run in his four innings of work to bag his second win of the spring.

Scoring a run in the opening frame in every game of the series, William Penn let its 1-0 lead slip in the bottom of the second where the Wildcats surged ahead with a four-run inning. Jenkins smacked his seventh home run of the season to push the lead to 6-1 in the third.

Twillman drove in the next three for BU with a two-run single in the bottom of the fourth and an RBI knock in the sixth. A bases-loaded walk from Preston Drake capped the 10-3 victory and completed the sweep for a Wildcats team that moved to 9-3 in Heart play this season.

With projected weather shifting things, the Wildcats had their weekend series at Peru State pushed up and will now play games on Friday (March 22) and Saturday (March 23) with start times of 1 p.m. in Peru, Neb.

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