Sophomore Reid Pittard swings at a pitch during DePauw's against
Denison University earlier this season.
BROCK TURNER / THE DEPAUW
Three days after throttling Wabash College, DePauw University baseball made a return trip up to Crawfordsville to make-up a doubleheader that was postponed from Sunday.
The Tigers split the two-game set on this occasion, winning the first game by a score of 15-10 and losing the nightcap 8-7.
With the winds blowing out, both the Tigers and Little Giants feasted at the plate.
The Tigers struck for five runs in the first inning of game one with the big blow coming off the bat of senior Cory Meixner in the form of a two RBI double.
Starting pitcher, sophomore Mike Hammel, had things dealing for the Tigers and DePauw took a 5-1 lead into the fifth inning. It was here, however, that both teams’ bats got going.
The Tigers blew things open with three runs in the top of the fifth, while the Little Giants countered with one of their own. DePauw then hung up four more runs in the top of the sixth only to be followed by three in response from Wabash who knocked Hammel out of the game in the process.
After the Tigers put up three more in the top of the seventh, the Little Giants were down to their final three outs trailing 15-5. Wabash did its best to get back in the game scoring five runs in the bottom half to pull back within five at the finish.
Three different Tigers drove in three runs on the day. Meixner, sophomore Reid Pittard and junior Connor Einertson each drove in three of their teammates.
Hammel earned the win, going six innings nine runs, eight of which were earned, on 12 hits, while striking out four and walking two.
In the second game, the Little Giants got revenge and salvaged the final game of the season series.
Once again, the Tigers jumped out to a lead in the first, scoring one run on junior Lucas Italiano's single that chased home Pittard.
This time, however, it was Wabash’s turn to get the big early inning. The Little Giants hung up five runs in the bottom of the second on three singles and a double.
The Tigers actually managed to battle back and tie the game at five after scoring three runs in the top of the third and then one more in their half of the fourth. The Little Giants weren’t about to let this one slip away, though. Wabash scored what would go on to be the winning run in the bottom half of the fourth on an RBI single from Lucas Stippler and then added two more insurance runs in their half of the fifth to round out the scoring.
Italiano had the big day at the plate for the Tigers. The DePauw right fielder went 3-for-5 while driving in six of the Tigers’ seven runs on the day.
Sophomore Riley Futterknecht saw his record fall to 1-2 on the season after lasting 4.2 innings and giving up eight runs, seven of which were earned, on seven hits, while striking out four and walking four.
With the split, the Tigers wrap up North Coast Athletic Conference Western Division play with an 11-5 record and a 11-19 mark overall. The Tigers also locked up second place in the west and guaranteed that they will host the NCAC Cross-over series on the first weekend of May.
DePauw will wrap up the regular season portion of its home campaign this weekend when they play a pair of games against both Washington University-St. Louis and Case Western Reserve University.
