WINTER HAVEN, FLA.- Returning to the field following yesterday's exciting late inning win, the Rockford University baseball team took on the 2-2 Coe College Kohawks for an early afternoon double-header. Game one featured another game for Rockford that was not decided until the final innings.
Taking the mound for the Regents was Kaleb Rich (Washington, Iowa/Washington). Rich cruised through the first two innings before getting in a jam in the third. He allowed a leadoff single, followed by a walk, and after a passed ball advanced the runners Rich walked another batter to load the bases with no outs. A missed pop up resulted in a force out at home for the first out. Rich then got the next two batters out on a pop up and a fly out to end the threat.
He found himself in trouble again in the sixth after a leadoff single. After a bunt moved the runner to second, a throwing error on a pickoff attempt moved him over to third. A two-out infield single to third base resulted in the first run of the game for Coe.
Rockford put pressure on Coe in the beginning of the game. Chris Senn (Apple Valley, Calf./Silverado) singled to center field in the first which advanced Cole Logeman (Lena, Ill./Lena-Winslow) to third who had just hit a double. But the Kohawk's got an inning ending double-play on the next batter. A lead-off walk in the second inning was followed by another double-play turned by Coe. A one-out single in the fourth for the Regents was once again followed by an inning ending double-play.
Terry Wiltshire (Elizabeth, Ill./River Ridge) led off the top of the seventh with a single to start a rally for Rockford. One batter later Kyle LaMore (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley), who had grounded out into a double-play earlier in the game, redeemed himself by crushing a two-run home run to left field on the first pitch he saw. The lead would not last long as the following inning Coe hit a two-out triple to right field to tie up the game.
The Kohawks found themselves ahead by a run in the top of the ninth after loading the bases and scoring a run on a passed ball. Joe Rigg (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg) then settled down to get the next two out to end another Kohawk threat. Senn started things out well for Rockford in the bottom of the ninth by reaching on a hit-by-pitch. He was pinch ran for and the runner advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on another wild pitch after a strikeout. Two walks resulted with the game winning run being put on second base with one out. The Regents could not get either run in and the game ended after a pop out and a ground out to shortstop.
