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Box Score 2 |
Box Score 3 |
Box Score 4 LAMONI, IOWA Grand View played their first series of the official spring season this weekend against the Yellowjackets of Graceland University. The Vikings took both games in the doubleheader on Saturday and Sunday. The Vikings effectiveness at the plate continued this weekend with multiple double-digit victories in the four games. GV earned a 4-0 series win and moved to 11-1 in conference play.
SATURDAY
GAME 1
The first two innings resulted in no score from either side. Kaleb Krier started for Grand View's squad and continued his successful season on the mound. Krier had a gem through four innings and earned five strikeouts. Krier gave up his only two runs of the game on a two-run homerun in the bottom of the fifth. The Vikings offense cracked the scoreboard in the top on the third, on a two out, 2 RBI double into a gap in center field. Brock Rinehart brought in Brock Johnson and Dane Schwirtz to give the team a lead.
After the Yellowjackets tied the ball game, Grand View responded in the top of the sixth. Evan Borst doubled to put himself and Erik Broekemeier in scoring position. Hank Himrich singled center the next at-bat and brought them both home. GV tacked on two more runs in the top of the seventh, as Broekemeier doubled down the right field line. Schwirtz and Connor Canny scored and extended the lead to four runs.
Devin Doyle came in as relief in the bottom of the sixth and went to work. Doyle found himself in a bind early, with the bases loaded and two away. The poise showed as he retired Olmeda on a pop out to short. Doyle entered the seventh with more cushion and proved to be comfortable on the mound. He peppered the strike zone and trusted his defense. Two fly outs and a ground out made for three quick outs in the seventh and a 6-2 win for the Vikings.
GAME 2
The second half of the doubleheader woke up the bats for the Vikings. Broekemeier brought in the first run of the game on a fielder's choice in the first inning. Fast forward to the 3rd and GV came alive. Rinehart grounded out to shortstop but brought in Johnson in the process. Broekemeier singled just after and scored Patrick Bergkamp from third base. Brook Heinen doubled down the left field line to bring in another run. Himrich cleared the bases with a line drive to the gap in right-center field and dug in feet all the way to third for a two RBI triple. Grand View put up 5-runs in this inning and kept the steady flow of runs accumulating for the next four innings.
GV had three runs in the fourth which included a solo homerun from Johnson. Three more runs were found in the fifth inning with Stalder and Rinehart RBI singles. Tyler Lewnau and Parker Bulthuis both pinch-hit in the sixth inning and earned RBI's. In the final inning of baseball on Saturday, GV found two deep balls that made their way out of Chase Stadium. Himrich poked one out, over the right fielder's head, and brought in Jacob Wolver with him. Thomas Maathuis followed that up with a solo trot around the bases.
Jacob Moist earned another win for the Vikings as he faced 23 batters in his six-inning appearance. The right-hander only allowed four hits and added five strikeouts to his total for the season. Moist let up just one run and no errors from the Grand View defense. Kaden Stewart came in to close out the game and earned two strikeouts in his one, two, three inning. GV finished the game with a 17-1 victory, and their 10th straight win!
SATURDAY GAME NOTES
GAME 3
Grand View came out swinging in the third game of the series. GV scored two runs in the first inning with a double from Borst. Then the Vikings sparked a seven-run inning in the second. Schwirtz earned two RBIs on a double to left center and was quickly brought in on a home run ball by catcher, Rinehart! GV put two more on base before they added three more runs on a shot down the left field line by Himrich. Johnson showed his power with a two RBI homer of his own in the top of the 3rd inning and put 11 total runs on the board for Grand View.
The Vikings weren't finished. The team rallied in the top of the fourth and added 12 more runs. Heinen started the scoring with a two-run single. Johnson continued his appealing play with a double to left center and brought home a run. The left-handed Rinehart pulled a single to right field and brought in two more runs. Broekemeier followed that up with an RBI double to a gap in right center field. Borst and Himrich took the plate next and both singled to bring in a run a piece. Carson Wadel copied this with a single to center and brought in Himrich. Lewnau can in to pinch hit for Johnson and slapped a two-run double and a 12-run inning was posted on 10 hits by the Vikings. Grand View earned two more runs in the sixth inning with a sacrifice fly from Lewnau and an unearned run from an error out in center.
GV started Alex Foster in game three and a respectable outing for the junior from Madrid, Iowa. Foster faced 18 batters in the four innings pitched and had batters confused. He gave up just two hits and two runs but found eight strikeouts along the way. Noah Kueter came in and earned three outs on just four batters faced. Kueter threw just 20 pitches. Tucker Christensen came in next and earned two outs on his own. Christensen had the Yellowjackets confused at the plate with both strikeouts putting them stuck in the mud. Drew Scherbenske came in to close the game and trusted his defense. Scherbenske let up just one hit and no runs to end the game 25-2.
GAME 4
Jacob Draeger got the start for GV in the final game of this conference series. Draeger gave up one run and an unearned run in the first inning but dialed in with two strikeouts in the next inning and held GU to that one run through the third.
Grand View finally broke through at the plate in the top of four. Borst found a gap in left center and put on the burners to earn a leadoff triple. Heinen followed with a long ball to right field and a go-ahead homerun. Stalder kept the inning alive with a two-out single and Johnson took advantage of another pitch he liked. The second two RBI homerun of the inning helped gain a 4-1 lead entering the bottom of the fourth.
Draeger let up a run on a fly ball the cleared the fence early in the fourth. He then caught two batters looking on strike three to bounce back and finish his outing with a 4-2 Viking lead.
Jacob for Jacob at the mound as Wolver came in to relieve in the bottom of the fifth. Wolver had his best stuff and impacted the game immediately. Wolver handled all three outs in the fifth, at the plate with two strikeouts looking. Wolver continued his dominance in the sixth with another strikeout and two ground balls to go three up, three down.
The Vikings bats weren't out of juice yet and added some breathing room for the bullpen in the top of the final inning. Bergkamp singled to start the inning on a poke to center. Rinehart followed by getting into a pitch from Batista that sailed the right-field fence. Two more runs brought the lead to 6-2. Broekemeier found a hole in right center to follow that up with a double and forced a pitching change for Graceland in the top half of the seventh.
Wolver stayed in the game to close for Grand View. A runner advanced to third on an error and was driven in on a fielders choice to make it 6-3. Wolver threw strikes to finish the game and trusted the fielding from the Vikings. A fly out from Bauer to end the game and earn a sweep in the conference series for Grand View!
SUNDAY GAME NOTES
UP NEXT
The Vikings will take the field at home on Wednesday for a mid-week matchup against St. Ambrose University. March 26th at 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM. See you at Lou Yacinich Stadium.
