Dateline: 318 kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico.
Xavier pitching did everything they could to help Indiana’s offense, fortunately the Indiana defense was just as generous.
In the end the Musketeers pulled out an 8-6 win at Surprise Stadium in the Sanderson Ford College Baseball Classic.
Xavier pitchers walked 15 Hoosier batters for them in the second inning and produced a run. The heart of the Musketeers pitcher sophomore Ryan Piech (Walsh Jesuit in Aurora, Ohio, had to be pounding when a drive by Joey sent left fielder Carter Hendrickson to the fence to catch the inning ending fly. Piech left after his sixth and seventh walks opened the Hoosiers fourth frame, Logan Schmidt walked the Hoosier’s leadoff batter, Tyler Cerny, in the fifth. Jasen Oliver sent him to third with a single. Brenczewski’s fly out to left made it 2-0. A grateful Indiana defense was generous in the sixth. Number nine hitter Jake Lambdin reached second base on a throwing error by Hoosier third baseman Josh Pyne. One out later, Aedan Anderson doubled Lambdin home offHoosier starter, who struck out 11 in 5 ⅓ innings,Reliever Ben Grable walked Isacc Wachsmann and Connor Misch. Freshman Landon Mensick delivered a game tying single that loaded the bases. Grable threw a wild pitch scoring Wachsman and Misch scored when catcher Jake Stadler threw the ball away. Cerny homered in the sixth off Luke Hoskins in the sixth. Xavier got the run back in the Hendrickson reached with one out in the eighth getting hit by a pitch in the left shoulder. Indiana shortstop Cerny threw a double play grounder past Oliver at second and Xavier had a 6-3 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. The plot thickened. Hoskins pitched a scoreless eighth. He struck out Devin Taylor from LaSalle High School to start the ninth. Hogan Denny and Cerny followed with singles. Xavier coach Billy O’Conner summoned Lambdin from third base. Oliver tied the game with a blow to left center. Lamdin walked Brenczewski. Geddes, the 6’6” lefty transfer from Indiana, came in to put out the fire. Geddes struck out Tyler DeMartino, who ironically transferred from Xavier. Korbyn Dickerson flew out to center field. Indiana’s Ryan Kraft entered in the 10th. He struck out the first two Musketeers hitters, Burdette from Moeller High School and Mensik. Eddie Peters, Donavan Canterbury, Lamdin and Hedrickson followed with singles to establish a two-run lead. The Hoosiers bottom of the 10th was as dramatic as the ninth. Geddes got two quick outs to start the inning. Taylor singled. Denny walked and Oliver was hit by a pitch to fill the bases. The Hoosier hero from the ninth inning, Oliver stepped to the plate. Geddes fell behind 3-1. Geddes landed a breaking ball on the inside corner that Oliver thought was ball four. Visibly upset Indiana coach, Jeff Mercer, came out of the dugout to calm the sophomore down. With runners moving Oliver lifted a ball to center which off the bat looked as if it would fall in but Anderson running at full speed caught it easily.
Xavier's triumph was their first win of the season. They lost to Oregon State, 8-3 in their first game
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