MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Rockford University baseball team dropped both of its games at the NACC-leading MSOE Raiders on Saturday afternoon. Rockford led by as many as four runs in the opener and held a 7-5 lead in the fifth. Unfortunately, MSOE scored the final three runs en route to stealing game one by an 8-7 final. The nightcap featured a lot of offense as the two teams combined for 17 runs and 25 hits. MSOE scored in six of the eight innings, including four runs in the fifth en route to a 12-5 victory.
Game 1
- Rockford got off to a fast start with four runs in the top of the first inning. The Regents quickly loaded the bases off two hit batsmen and a Jared Herzog single. Kadin Bergstrom then roped a two-run double into left center to give his team a 2-0 advantage. Zach Fabis followed with an RBI groundout and Enrique Melendez Jr. made it a 4-0 Regent lead on an RBI single back up the middle.
- The score remained unchanged until MSOE struck for five runs in the bottom of the third. The Raiders had just two hits in the inning but capitalized off a hit batter and three walks to take their first lead of the game at 5-4.
- Following a scoreless fourth, Rockford retook the lead with a three-run fifth. The Regents had just one hit in the inning, but took advantage of a pair of MSOE errors to plate their three runs. The first two runs scored on errors by the catcher and right fielder and Zach Fabis knocked in the final run of the inning on an RBI single back up the middle to make it a 7-5 RU lead.
- However, the Raiders answered right back one inning later with three runs of their own to retake the lead. MSOE used a pair of walks, a wild pitch, an RBI groundout and a single to tie the game at 7-7. The Raiders scored their final run of the inning off an RU error to jump back in front 8-7.
- Unfortunately, Rockford then went down in order in the seventh and dropped the opener by a final score of 8-7.
Game 2
- The Regents again scored in the first inning to take an early lead over the Raiders. With runners on first and third and just one out, Joseph Stagowski was able to get in a rundown long enough for Jake Bilotta to advance home and give Rockford a 1-0 advantage.
- However, MSOE's Blake Hall tied the game at 1-1 with a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning.
- The Raiders then scored a single run off four hits in the bottom of the second to take an early 2-1 advantage.
- Fortunately, the Regents responded with two runs in the third to retake the lead. Jake Bilotta and Jared Herzog got thing started with a single and a double to put runners on second and third with only one out. Joseph Stagowski and Alex Perez each drove in a run on a sacrifice fly and an RBI single to center, to put Rockford back in front 3-2.
- However, MSOE continued its scoring spree with two runs of its own in the third. The Raiders tallied three hits in the frame en route to plating a pair of runs and retaking the lead at 4-3.
- Following a scoreless fourth, the Raiders scored four runs in the fifth to extend their lead to 8-3. MSOE took advantage of three walks, a hit batter and an error, along with two hits, to score its four runs.
- Fortunately, the Regents hit right back with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth to pull back to within three. Rockford scored its first run on an MSOE error and then made it an 8-5 game off a Jake Bilotta RBI double.
- Unfortunately, MSOE scored two runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to stretch its lead out to a game-high seven runs.
- The Regents did not really threaten over the final couple of innings and fell by a final score of 12-5.
Game 1
Game 2
- Jake Bilotta finished 2-for-4 with a double, 2 runs scored and an RBI.
- Jared Herzog was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
- Nate Burdin went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
- Alex Perez finished 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI.
