FORT MYERS, Fla.- Getting off to a fast start is always important when a new season starts. The Rockford University baseball team could not have asked for a better start than they had in their season opening game in Florida against the Hiram College Terries. A seven-run first inning led to a 17-7 victory for the Regents.
Robert Smith (Bartlett, Ill.) started the Regents offensive attack with a single and he stole second base a couple of pitches later. Smith went 4-for-5 for the game with three runs, two RBI, two stolen bases, and he finished a home run short of hitting for the cycle. After a walk and a single, Brian Wiest (Lake Zurich, Ill.) drove in the first run of the game with a fielder's choice. Hiram then made an error which led to another run. Jacob McKnight (Monroe Center, Ill.) followed that up with a RBI double. Another Hiram error on the next batter allowed another run to score. Josh Cooper (Yorkville, Ill.) kept things going with a RBI single down the right field line. A throwing error on a failed pickoff attempt allowed another Regent to cross the plate. Smith ended the scoring with a RBI triple.
The Regents did not get on the scoreboard in the 2nd or 3rd innings, but they scored every inning after that. Cole Logemann (Lena, Ill.) hit a two-run home run in the 7th inning to put a stamp on the Regents offensive outburst. It would not be the only home run he hit on the day.
Shutting down the Terries offense was Rockford's starting pitcher Michael Murray (Princeton, Ill.). He threw five shutout innings to earn the victory. Murray struck out nine and gave up just three hits and a walk. Logeman finished 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs. McKnight also finished 2-for-5 with three RBI. Cooper, Kevin Robinson (Schaumburg, Ill.), and Bobby Barrera (Waukegan, Ill.) each finished with two hits.
The second game of the day was against the Northland College Lumberjacks. It took a little longer for Rockford's offense to get going in game two, but the bats eventually got hot. Northland was up 4-1 going into the bottom half of the fourth inning when the Regents bats came alive. Robinson hit a no doubt about it, towering home run,to the deepest part of the park in left center field to start the inning.
In the top half of the fifth inning, freshman Adam O'Malley (Elk Grove, Ill.) came in relief of starting pitcher James Northrup (Rockford, Ill.) and escaped a second and third, two-out jam by striking out a Lumberjack to end the inning. The Regents carried the momentum over into the bottom half of the inning to wake up the bats.
Seth Dascher (Lena, Ill.) started the rally with a lead off walk. Cooper then bunted for a single. Smith sacrificed both runners over to put two men in scoring position for Logemann, who hit a first pitch home run in his first at bat of the game. After taking a ball, Logemann deposited a go ahead three-run bomb into the trees behind the left field fence. That would not be all of the scoring for the inning. Robinson doubled right after Logemann and the next two batters reached on an error and a walk. RBI ground outs by sophomores Britton Seivert (Rockford, Ill.) and Mitchell Gorsuch (Cherry Valley, Ill.) put Rockford up 7-4.
Rockford scored three more in the bottom of the sixth with a sacrifice fly by Robinson, a RBI double by Nick Naber (Rockford, Ill.), and a RBI single by McKnight. Northland scored two unearned runs in the eighth inning but could not get any closer and fell to the Regents 10-6.
The middle of the order did most of the damage for the Regents. Logemann had four RBI and Robinson had two. Rockford's four through seven hitters each had a RBI. O'Malley pitched three innings to pick up the win. He struck out two and allowed just three base runners. Kwynn Rury (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) pitched two innings to finish the game.
Rockford's spring trip continues tomorrow with a double-header against Gettysburg starting at 8 a.m. central.
