Mount Marty scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning to break open a tie game then held off a late Nebraska Wesleyan rally to give the Lancers a 12-10 extra innings victory in a marathon game to begin a GPAC baseball doubleheader on Monday afternoon (Mar. 29) in Lincoln. Mount Marty then used a seven run sixth inning to pull away for a 11-2 victory in the nightcap.
The two losses for the Prairie Wolves drops their record to 5-6 overall and 1-3 in GPAC, while Mount Marty improves to 17-6 and a perfect 4-0 in GPAC.
The Lancers jumped ahead 4-0 early in game one, but the Prairie Wolves scored four in the bottom of the third inning on a key three-run double by Cory Hilgenkamp to tie it up at 4-4. MMC came right back to score three in the top of the fourth to knock out starting pitcher Ryan Dolezal.
Nebraska Wesleyan regained the lead with six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Hilgenkamp had an RBI single, Griffin DePriest had a two-run single and Tanner Lewis drove in one run with an infield hit to highlight the five hit inning.
A three run sixth inning by the Lancers tied the game again at 10-10 heading into the bottom of the sixth. NWU had opportunities in both the sixth and seventh innings but failed to take advantage.
The powerful Lancer lineup got hot in the top of the ninth and a two-run double by Josh Damewood would be the game-winning hit.
NWU had 10 hits in the game with Josh Ostrom and Cory Hilgenkamp each getting three hits with a double apiece. Hilgenkamp also had four RBI. Pitcher Chris Wahl made his first appearance of the season for NWU and took the loss pitching four innings of relief allowing six hits and five earned runs.
Game two was full of mistakes for NWU as they committed four errors, hit five batters and struck out seven times at the plate. Mount Marty used two errors in the first inning to score two runs and jump ahead 2-0.
Just like in game one, NWU bounced back and Bryon Janata's two-run double in the bottom of the second inning tied the game at 2-2.
A Jason Schmidt double in the top of the fifth inning drove in two runs to put Mount Marty up 4-2 with the Prairie Wolves still in striking distance. However, starting pitcher Cory Hilgenkamp was releived for in the sixth inning and the bullpen could not come through for NWU. The Lancers pounded out five hits and scored seven runs in the top of the sixth to go ahead 11-2 and that would be the final.
Hilgenkamp was fairly effective for NWU on the mound going 5.0 innings allowing just two hits and one earned run (four total. He did hit five batters to take the loss and fall to 1-2 on the year.
Six different players had one hit apiece for Nebraska Wesleyan at the plate.
The Prairie Wolves will try to stop their three-game losing streak this weekend when they travel to Seward, Neb., on Friday night to face Concordia University in a doubleheader.
