BOLIVAR, Mo. – Ethan Imlach's (Mokena, Ill./Mount Carmel) two-run double plated the go-ahead runs in the eighth inning as the Purdue Northwest baseball team rallied to a 6-5 series-clinching win over Southwest Baptist on Sunday.
PNW improved to 3-1 following the win as
Joe Sullivan (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein High School) (win) and
Joe Buikema (Chicago, Ill./Notre Dame College Prep) (save) combined to pitch four shutout frames in relief with six strikeouts.
Bret Matthys (Cedar Lake, Ind./Hanover Central) toed the rubber for his first collegiate start and surrendered only one earned run with four strikeouts in three-and-a-third.
Jackson Lund (Big Rapids, Mich./Big Rapids High School) posted one-and-two-thirds of work in his first appearance with a pair of strikeouts and just one earned run.
Southwest Baptist took a 5-1 lead after the fifth thanks to a three-run inning, but the Pride answered back with three runs of their own after the bats finally came alive.
Tyler Schultz (Hobart, Ind./Hobart) and
Ray Hilbrich (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central) led off the top of the sixth with singles and Schultz would score on an errant throw by the pitcher off a ground ball by
Alex Gasbarro (New Lenox, Ill./St. Laurence High School) to cut the deficit to three runs, 5-2. Then,
Hayden Matulich (San Jose, Calif./Pioneer) stepped to the plate and launched a hot shot into left field that was deep enough to score Hilbrich from second. Gasbarro would later score to make it 5-4 on a grounder to the left side by
Josh Lindeman (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point High School). PNW sent eight men to the plate in the inning and tallied three runs on three hits.
Neither team could muster any offense until the eighth inning. Matulich ignited the late rally with a leadoff double and
Jack Gallagher (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North High School) moved him over with a sac bunt. Then,
Donovan Nanfeldt (Oak Forest, Ill./Victor J. Andrew (IU-Southeast)) and
Anthony Fumagalli (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North High School) drew back-to-back walks but the Bearcats were one out away from escaping the bases-loaded jamsophomore doubled to center field and gave the Pride the only lead they needed. It was his second hit of the game equaling the team-high for hits along with Schultz, Gasbarro and Matulich.
Matulich was 2 for 4 with an RBI, Gabarro was 2 for 5 with a run scored and Schultz was 2 for 5 with two runs scored. Hilbrich finished the weekend 7 for 12 (.583) while reaching base on four walks and two hit by pitches.
PNW's first run of the game came in the top of the fourth when Matulich reached on an error that also allowed Schultz to score and tie the game at 1-1.
UP NEXT
PNW will welcome in the Minot State Beavers to Dowling Park for a trio of games on Tuesday and Wednesday. First pitch for Tuesday's home opener is scheduled for 2 p.m. CST.
FOLLOW THE PRIDE
For all the latest information on Purdue Northwest Baseball, please visit PNWathletics.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Pride (@pnwathletics / @PNW_Baseball) on Twitter. You can also find the Pride on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
