Eagles Split Pair of Doubleheaders
Clark State Goes 2-2 Against Wright State Lake & Thomas More JV
March 13, 2020
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Since taking two of three from Ancilla College to open the season, the Clark State Eagles have taken on the Wright State Lake Campus Lakers and the Thomas More JV squad in two games each and split both doubleheaders to improve to 4-3 on the season.
Against the Lake Campus Lakers on Saturday, March 7, mixed results were present. Game 1 was a 6-2 victory that saw a standout performance from Daniel Rodriguez out of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico. It was a game of twos for Rodriguez as he went 2-for-4, drove in two runs, scored twice himself and even stole two bases.
On the other side of the ball, the trio of Bryce McMurray, Benjamin Vonderheide and Wesly Lozada combined to throw seven innings of two-run, five-strikeout baseball.
Game 2, however, witnessed a lapse in both areas, as the Eagles were defeated 10-2. The offense struggled as the first five batters in the Clark State lineup went a combined 0-9. Lake Campus Junior Noah Greathouse came in and struck out seven of the 12 batters he faced.
Monday, March 9 saw the Eagles on the road once again, this time on the way to Thomas More University to face the Saints' JV team. And what a series it was, featuring a combined 48 runs over 14 innings for both teams.
Game 1 was a knock-down, drag-out slugfest of a game, with the Eagles winning 17-16. Five errors and trouble with finding the strike zone almost sank the Eagles in this one, but the bats were out in full force as all 11 Clark State batters either drove in a run or scored one themselves.
McMurray had himself a day at the plate going 4-5, scoring twice, picking up 4 RBI and even put one in the seats for his first home run of the year. On top of all that, the sophomore even stole a base too.
The second game of the day was not as much of a bonanza, but moore of a siesta as the bats quieted down and the pitching couldn't hold down the fort as Clark State lost 12-3.
The problems that nearly cost the Eagles the first game caught up to them in the second as six errors in the field led to five unearned runs and the pitchers struggled to find the strike zone in the process of surrendering 13 walks.