PLYMOUTH, Wis. –
Mikey Hernandez (
Jr.-Lennox, Calif.) threw seven strong innings in the second game but Logan Koeller was even better for Rockford University, which defeated the Lakeland University baseball team twice Saturday afternoon on a sunny day at the Muskies' campus field.
The Regents outlasted the Muskies 10-7 in the first game and then posted a 4-0 shutout in the second game to complete the twinbill sweep. Lakeland was close in both games but dropped to 12-24 overall and 5-15 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.
Hernandez threw seven innings, allowing six hits and just two runs, both coming on a two-out, two-run double by Zach Fabis in the first inning. After the opening frame he faced just two batters over the minimum, including four 1-2-3 innings plus another inning in the third where he allowed a one-out single before getting a 5-4-3 double play.
Koeller outdueled Hernandez in the pitchers' duel, though, with his best game of the season. The sophomore righthander allowed just two hits in eight-plus innings with a season-high 11 strikeouts.
Sawyer Laffoon (
So.-Sheldon, Ill.) was the lone Muskie to solve him with a pair of hits, and Koeller struck out at least one hitter in each of the first eight innings before departing in the ninth after a walk and a hit batter. Sidney Atkins came on in relief of Koeller and finished the game with three straight outs to earn the save.
Lakeland was much more effective offensively in the first game, outhitting Rockford 13-12 including scoring six runs off Fabis, who entered the day with a 7-0 record and a 2.32 earned run average. Fabis gave up a season-high 10 hits and seven runs (four earned) with seven strikeouts in six innings, but still left with a 9-7 lead after the Regents (22-12 overall, 11-9 NACC) did most of their damage with a big seven-run fourth inning and then retook the lead after the Muskies rallied from 7-3 down to tie the game.
Lakeland answered Rockford's seven-run inning with three of its own in the bottom of the fourth, including
Logan South (
So.-Oswego, Ill.) hitting an RBI single to drive in
Hayden Smith (
Jr.-South Range, Wis.).
Sean Gregorius (
So.-Germantown, Wis.) then followed with a two-run smash over the fence in left field for his second home run of the season and cutting the Regents' lead to 7-6.
Chris Day (
Sr.-Victorville, Calif.) then led off the Muskies' sixth with a single and came in to score on a wild pitch, but Rockford retook the lead with a pair of runs in the seventh.
Braeden Schley (
Fr.-Luxemburg, Wis.) was largely excellent in his second outing of the season, coming on in the fifth and throwing two scoreless innings and starting his third inning by getting a pair of fly balls. Bad luck resulted in one ball lost in the sun and a second one scored an error after dropping between three fielders, and Rockford's Zach Duke hit a two-run double to drive in both and put the Regents ahead 9-7.
Rockford added another run in the eighth, but the Muskies loaded the bases with one out in the eighth before the inning ended on a strikeout and a fly out. Lakeland also put two on with one down in the seventh before a strikeout and a fly out to end the game.
Bryce Backus (
So.-Kenosha, Wis.) hit a two-run triple in the first inning to get Lakeland on the board and South singled in another run to make it 3-0 in the third. Gregorius finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs and Day went 2-for-3 with a walk.
Lakeland is home again Tuesday to host Edgewood University for two games starting at noon.
