Eutectics win home opener, but can't sweep twinbill

It was a wild day of baseball for the Eutectics as they played their home opener on Thursday afternoon as part of a doubleheader against Calumet College of St. Joseph's at Stars Park on the campus of Harris-Stowe State University. The Eutectics won the opener in come-from-behind and then eventual walk-off fashion 13-12, but dropped the second game 7-2.

In the opener, Calumet grabbed a quick 5-0 lead with two in the first and three more in the second. The Crimson Wave made it 9-0 with a four-spot in the fourth as Tommy Benson had the big hit with a two-run double to left and CCSJ looked like they were poised to cruise to their first win of the season.

In the home half of the fourth, the UHSP offense got rolling as Logan Stribling singled to center to drive home a pair and then he eventually came around to score on an RBI groundout by Alston Morrell. That inning would just be a warm up for what the Eutectics did in the next half inning as they would send a dozen men to the plate and seven would come back around to score as UHSP took a 10-9 lead. The Crimson Wave defense was anything but sharp as they committed four errors in the inning and finished with six in the game. Malcolm Merriwether drove home the inning's first run with a single to score Sabastian Encarnacion. Jordan Gonzalez scored on the first Calumet error of the frame by the right fielder that allowed Stribling to reach. Merriwether would score when Nolan Harding reached on an error by the third baseman. The shaky defense did not get any better as the next batter Ruben Ogando reached on an error at second allowing Stribling to score. Three batters later Encarnacion would single in a pair and then Gonzalez reached on the second error of the inning by Blaze Cano at second allowing Michael Morales to score.

Calumet would re-tie the game at 10-all in the top of the sixth as Brennan Nichols singled in a run. The Eutectics answered as Ogando drove in Stribling and Morrell hit a ball to right that resulted in another error allowing Ogando to score and it was 12-10 home club, needing only three outs for a win. That would prove difficult though as CCSJ would load the bases with two outs. Nichols would come through again with a single to plate two and it was a 12-12 contest. Blaze Cano struck out looking to strand runners at second and third.

For the bottom of the seventh, Jorge Santos took the mound for the Crimson Wave and with one out, Merriwether banged one off the leftfield wall for a double. Robert Kopp came in to run for Merriwether and Stribling sent a high pop up to shallow left. The sun was a problem all day for fielders and with the leftfielder, third baseman and shortstop all converging, none were able to make the play as the ball fell, Kopp scored and the Eutectics home a wild home opening win.

UHSP starting pitcher Barrett Lohman went just three innings allowing eight runs, four earned on seven hits, two walks and three strikeouts. Holden Campbell followed also for a three inning stint with two earned runs against him, four hits, three walks and four strikeouts. Maguire Wakelyn ended up giving up those two runs in the top of the seventh on two hits, but ended up picking up the win. Santos took the loss for CCSJ recording just one out in the seventh before the game ending run scored. Andrew Davenport started and gave ten runs, five earned through four-and-two-thirds followed by Nathan Barbato who went one-and-a-thirds allowing a run on a pair of hits.

The second game featured a little more "standard-issue" baseball. Kail Baughman started for Calumet College and Braden Thomas toed to rubber for the Eutectics. It was scoreless through two until CCSJ plated three in the top of the third. Gio Pappas drove in the game's first run with a sac fly and Josef Selby followed with a two-run double for the Crimson Wave. In the home-half of the third, Michael Morales opened the frame with a single and took second on an error in left. After a flyout, Jovonnie Bautista singled to bring in Morales and cut the margin to two. Thomas left after three for UHSP and Brayden Steves came on to pitch. Thomas allowed three runs on as many hits, stuck out one and walked a pair. Meanwhile, Baughman was settling as he struck out Michael Morales to lead off the home half of the fifth and closed the frame with a three-pitch strikeout of Bautista all on breaking balls to keep it a 3-1 game.

Meanwhile, Steves worked himself in a jam in the sixth as he hit the leadoff man and walked the next. Jacob St. Marie hit a slow comebacker to Steves who elected to try and get the lead runner, but could not retire Nicholas Anderson. The bases were loaded for pinch-hitter Tyler Brody who hit a sharp one hopper to third. Merriwether made a terrific diving stop and threw to second to get an out as Anderson scored to make it 4-1. Logan Stribling would replace Steves on the hill and promptly walked Darrius Little to reload the bases. Tommy Benson would cash in with a two-run double and the Crimson Wave had some breathing room leading 6-1. Michael Machnic followed with a sac fly to center to make it a 7-1 CCSJ lead as the Crimson Wave scored four in the frame on just two hits. That was plenty for Baughman who could not quite finish the deal, but still tossed a gem. He allowed a cosmetic run in the seventh on a Michael Morales double that allowed Robert Uhlmeyer to score, but otherwise struck out seven and allowed just four hits. Brennan Nichols needed one pitch to get the final out to give Calumet College (1-5) their first win of the season as UHSP fell to 3-2 on the year.

On the day, Michael Morales was 5-for-8 and drove in four. Most of the UHSP offense came in game one where Nolan Harding went 2-for-3, scoring two and driving three while Caden Buxton was 2-for-5 with a double and scored two runs.

The same two clubs will meet again on Saturday for another double-header at Stars Park that gets underway at 12:00pm.