FORT MYERS, Fla. - Following a difficult day on Thursday, the Rockford University baseball team returned the diamond on Friday looking to get back on track with games against Hiram College and Bluffton University. The Regents returned to their winning ways in the opener defeating Hiram by an 8-4 final but were unable to sweep the day as Rockford fell 9-5 to Bluffton.
Rockford never trailed in the opener against Hiram as the Regents scored a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Cole Logemann (Lena, Ill.) used a one-out walk to give the Regents their first base runner of the game. A few batters later, Evan Frantini (Coal City, Ill.) singled to third base driving in Logemann and putting his team out in front 1-0. First baseman Mitchell Gorsuch (Cherry Valley, Ill.) then laced an RBI single down the left field line to score Frantini and give the Regents a 2-0 lead.
The offense added to the lead with a 3-run fourth and a 2-run sixth inning. Shortstop Patrick O'Malley (Elk Grove, Ill.) began the rally with a one-out infield single. Two batters later, Eric Gnippe (Hinsdale, Ill.) ripped a two-out double down the left filed line scoring O'Malley to make it a 3-0 Rockford lead. Center fielder Robert Smith (Bartlett, Ill.) then kept the inning alive with an infield single before an error allowed him to advance to second and Gnippe to score. Rockford's final run of the inning came one batter later as Cole Logemann singled through the left side of the infield bringing Smith around to score and putting the Regents on top 5-0. After a scoreless fifth inning, senior Cole Logemann made it a 7-0 game as he hammered a 2-run home run way over the left center field wall to give his team a commanding lead.
The Rockford pitching staff would take it the remainder of the way. The Regents used a trio of pitchers highlighted by starting pitcher David Camacho (Elk Grove, Ill.) who had his second solid outing of the season. Camacho kept the Hiram offense at bay for much of the game as he fired 6 shutout innings before allowing a trio of runs in the seven. In total the junior tossed 6.1 innings and allowed just 3 runs while striking out 3 batters to move to 2-0 on the season. Senior pitcher Jake Morsch (Somonauk, Ill.) threw one inning to help bridge the gap as the Regents turned to Nathan Mulzer (Neenah, Wis.) to close out the game. Mulzer dazzled on the mound firing 1.2 near perfect innings allowing no hits or runs while striking out three to earn his first collegiate save.
After the win over Hiram, the Regents then turned their sights to Bluffton University. Rockford would again strike first as the Regents scored a run in the top half of the opening frame. Robert Smith began the game with a leadoff walk followed by a Ryan Scarpetta (Rockton, Ill.) RBI double down the right field line, to put his team out in front 1-0. The lead was short lived though as Bluffton answered with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning to grab a 2-1 advantage.
The Regents would eventually tie the game in the top of the fourth inning before retaking the lead in the fifth. First baseman Andrew Hunt (Apple Valley, Calif.) breathed a bit of life into the Rockford offense as he drew a two-out walk to keep the inning alive. One batter later, catcher Bryce Hinkelman (Ottawa, Ill.) ripped a single through the left side of the infield to move Hunt into scoring position. Sophomore Kraemer Brandt (Elk Grove, Ill.) then came through with a clutch two-out single through the right side of the infield as Rockford tied the game at 2-2 after four innings of play. The very next inning the Regents used two hits and took advantage of one Bluffton error to score a pair of runs and retake the lead. Robert Smith and Cole Logemann each reached base to start the inning thanks to a Bluffton error and a walk. A couple of batters later, Evan Frantini made the Beavers pay as he laced an RBI double into the Rockford bullpen giving the Regents a 3-2 advantage. Austin Smith (Peru, Ill.) then followed suit with an RBI single of his own to score Logemann and make it a 4-2 lead.
Unfortunately the lead did not last long as Bluffton would score in three of the next four innings. The Beavers scored one in the bottom of the fifth and then used a 5-run seventh inning to jump out to an 8-4 lead. The Beavers would then tack on one additional insurance run in the eighth to pad their lead.
The Regents did have multiple scoring opportunities in each of the last two innings as Rockford loaded the bases in both but could only manage one run. In the eighth, the Regents had runners on first and second with no one out courtesy of a Bryce Hinkelman walk and a Kraemer Brandt single. Following a strikeout and a Bluffton error, Rockford was able to load the bases with just one out. Unfortunately, the Regents were only muster one run in the eighth thanks to a Cole Logemann sacrifice fly. The ninth inning followed a similar pattern as Rockford again loaded the bases. Evan Frantini and Bryce Hinkelman each singled while Kraemer Brandt drew a two-out walk. Unfortunately Rockford was unable to score any runs as the Regents fell by a final score of 9-5.
Starting pitcher Adam O'Malley (Elk Grove, Ill.) threw very well in game two for the Regents. After a rough start to the game, O'Malley really began to lock in as he retired 8 straight batters and allowed just one run over his final eighteen outs. In total O'Malley went 6 innings allowing just 3 runs on 5 hits while striking out 3.
The RU baseball team will conclude its spring trip with a pair of games on Saturday, March 12 in Fort Myers, Florida. The Regents are set to open with Wabash at 9:00 AM EST before taking on Bethel at 3:00 PM EST.
