LISLE, Ill. - The Rockford University baseball team defeated Marian University 10-4 on Wednesday afternoon in the first round of the NACC Tournament. Offensively, the Regents put on a show by belting 14 hits and scoring 10 runs.
Kadin Bergstrom blasted a pair of home runs in the third and fifth innings to help lift the Regents to victory. Starting pitcher
Paul Turelli went 6.1 innings and allowed just one earned run before turning the game over to the Regent bullpen.
Alex Easton and
Jared Herzog took it from there, holding the Sabres scoreless and sealing the victory. The win snaps a ten-game losing streak to Marian and gives Rockford its first postseason win since 2010 (8-5 vs. CUW). The Regents will now play the host school and #3 seed Benedictine University on Thursday, May 9 at 10 AM.
- Marian took an early 1-0 lead off an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning.
- However, Rockford responded right back with a pair of runs in the top of the second. After a walk and a Zach Fabis single put runners on the corners with one out, Blaise Mace laced an RBI single into right to tie the game at 1-1. One batter later, Enrique Melendez Jr. roped an RBI single of his own to give Rockford its first lead of the day at 2-1.
- The Sabres were able to tie the game at 2-2 with another unearned run in the bottom of the second.
- Fortunately, Rockford blew the game wide open with a four-run third inning. Joseph Stagowski gave the Regents a 3-2 lead on an RBI double to right center field. Alex Perez followed with an RBI single back up the middle to make it a 4-2 game. One batter later, Kadin Bergstrom absolutely crushed a two-run home run over the left field wall to extend Rockford's advantage to 6-2.
- The score remained unchanged until Kadin Bergstrom blasted another home run in the top of fifth and made it a five-run game.
- The Sabres did get that run back in the bottom of the fifth thanks to yet another unearned run, and then tacked on one more run in the seventh to crawl back to within three.
- However, seven runs were more than enough run support for the RU pitching staff. Starter Paul Turelli allowed just one earned run in his 6.1 innings, his longest start of the year. Alex Easton took over midway through the seventh and was able to induce an inning-ending double play to halt any chance of a Sabre comeback.
- The Regents then added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the eighth. Kadin Bergstrom singled in the first run of the inning, his fourth RBI of the game, and Zach Fabis made it a 10-4 RU lead on a sacrifice fly to center.
- Jared Herzog took over for Alex Easton and tossed a scoreless ninth to help preserve the 10-4 victory.
- Kadin Bergstrom finished 3-for-5 with 2 home runs, 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Bergstrom now has 11 home runs this season, which is tied for fourth in the NACC.
- Enrique Melendez Jr. went 3-for-5 with an RBI.
- Nate Burdin was 2-for-4.
- Joseph Stagowski finished 1-for-3 with a double, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored.
- Paul Turelli went 6.1 innings to pick up the win and improve to 2-2 this season. Turelli scattered 5 hits, allowed just 1 earned run and struck out 7.
