Wildcats Split Home Easter Weekend Series with Benedictine

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. - Baker baseball earned back-to-back victories over conference rival Benedictine before settling for a series split as the Wildcats hosted an Easter weekend outing with the Ravens here Thursday and Saturday at Sauder Field.

After falling in game one on Thursday, the Wildcats picked up a pair of two-run victories before the Ravens salvaged the split by shutting out BU in the series finale on Saturday.

Game 1 - BC 1, BU 0 (9 inn.)
A two-out single in the top of the ninth served as the extra-inning game-winner for the Ravens in game one as they came out on top of a 1-0 pitcher's duel in Thursday's series opener.

BU starter Caden Pogue matched scoreless frames with BC starter Ben DeLaForest with the two pitchers blanking both lineups through the first seven innings to send things to extras for the second time at Sauder Field this year.

The Wildcats registered two of their five hits in the game in the bottom of the first with back-to-back two-out hits from Brayden Vawter and Eli Young. The Ravens scored their game-deciding run in the ninth with a two-out knock to right field to plate the game's lone run.

BU wouldn't get a runner to reach second base again until the bottom of the ninth where Vawter followed up a single from Tanner Twillman with a one-out walk to make things interesting. The Ravens got the next two outs to secure the extra-inning victory.

Game 2 - BU 3, BC 1
In the second straight pitching battle of the day, the Wildcats strung together a two-run sixth inning to take the second game of the series on a 3-1 victory.

With Peyton Sparks leading off the inning with a single, Javier Aguirre drove in the game's opening run in the bottom of the fourth with a two-out single to center field that allowed Sparks to score from second and give Baker a 1-0 lead.

Kolden Howerton went 3-for-4 at the plate and drove in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth with a two-out single to score pinch-runner Jacob Rowe. Howerton moved up all the way to third on a stolen base and then a wild pitch before adding an insurance run for BU by coming across on a BC error.

After coming on for starter Jaxon Holzem in the sixth, Gage Callaghan finished off his first win of the season by pitching a 1-2-3 top of the seventh to preserve the 3-1 win for the Wildcats.

Game 3 - BU 15, BC 13
After pitching took center stage on Thursday, the first game of Saturday's doubleheader featured a home run derby with the two teams combining for seven home runs as the Wildcats held on to claim the 28-run slugfest, 15-13 in game three of the series.

Howerton matched a game-opening home run from the Ravens with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first before the Wildcats scored three more runs to take a 4-2 lead after an inning of play.

In the second inning, Vawter smashed a grand slam and Jon Jenkins followed with a solo home run to make it 9-2 before Baker posted its second straight five-run inning with a big bottom of the third. Aguirre hits BU's fourth round-tripper of the game with a two-run shot as Sparks' two RBI single made it a cozy 13-2 cushion for the hosts.

Despite the double-digit deficit, the Ravens worked their way back by taking a four-run chunk out in the fourth and scoring two more runs in the sixth before a five-run seventh inning made Baker sweat out the two-run victory.

Game 4 - BC 11, BU 0
The Ravens carried over their late offensive charge from the first game of Saturday's doubleheader with another double-digit outing to split the series on an 11-0 win in the weekend finale.

Trailing 4-0 after three innings, the Wildcats hung around looking to try and break up the shutout, but were held to just three hits through the first five innings of the game.

After opening up their scoring via the long ball in the second inning, the Ravens added a three-run shot in the sixth and capped the series with another three-run home run in the seventh to seal the victory and make for a series split between the two conference rivals.

Baker returns to action next weekend with a road trip to take on Mount Mercy, starting with game one on Saturday, April 6 at 1 p.m. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

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