HAMMOND, Ind. – Stellar pitching and timely hitting were key as the Purdue Northwest baseball team swept Wednesday's non-conference doubleheader over Minot State.
PNW improved to 6-1 on the young season after a 3-2 win in Game 1, followed by a 3-1 triumph in the second game. After completing the three-game series sweep against the Beavers, the Pride tied the program's longest win streak with six straight victories. The previous six-game winning streak occurred in the 2019 season from March 28 to April 3 when PNW defeated Lewis and Saint Xavier (Ill.) in single games and swept Parkside in a four-game set.
Game 1 got off to an inauspicious start when Minot State's Ricky Apodaca led off the game with a home run to right center off PNW starter
Jack Sielatycki (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern), but the sophomore righty brushed it off and did not allow another run in the four innings he tossed.
Sielatycki finished his outing giving up four hits with one run, one walk, two HBPs and a pair of strikeouts for his first win of the season.
Riley Gallagher (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North High School) tossed a pair of innings in relief giving up just one run on two hits with one strikeout before making way for
Joe Buikema (Chicago, Ill./Notre Dame College Prep) to come in and close the game for his second save of the season.
After Minot State (6-9) took the early lead, PNW would tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second. With the bases loaded and one out,
Jack Gallagher (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North High School) legged out a potential inning-ending double play allowing
Bret Matthys (Cedar Lake, Ind./Hanover Central) to score from third.
Luke Montgomery (Orland Park, Ill./St. Laurence High School) stepped up to bat next and sent a shot down the left-field line to give the Pride a 2-1 lead after driving in
Alex Gasbarro (New Lenox, Ill./St. Laurence High School), who had reached base by way of an error.
The Pride's lead would swell to 3-1 in the fourth inning as
Jack Gallagher (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North High School) reached on an error by the Minot State third baseman allowing Gasbarro to score from second.
Minot State would inch closer in the sixth inning with a two-out double that was followed by a run-scoring single, but the Beavers' rally was ended when
Jack Gallagher (Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North High School) threw out the runner trying to steal second.
Game 2 saw starting pitcher
Joe Sullivan (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein High School) pick up his second win in four days after previously defeating Southwest Baptist in a relief appearance on Sunday.
Sullivan went 6.2 innings against Minot State allowing only one run, which came by way of a first inning double, and struck out five while walking four and allowing seven hits. The senior lefty kept the Beavers off balance and entrusted his defense by invoking nine fly-ball and six ground-ball outs.
Tristan Baker (Fishers, Ind./Fishers),
Noah Burgh (Warsaw, Ind./Warsaw Community High School) and
Sam Shively (Mishawaka, Ind./Mishawaka (Taylor)) combined to pitch the final 2.1 innings of action giving up a mere one hit and striking out two. Shively would pick up the save, which was his first of the season.
After once again falling behind after the top of the first, Montgomery led off the bottom half of the first frame by beating out a single and advancing second on an errant throw by the Minot State shortstop. Montgomery the legged out the throw at third base after
Ethan Imlach (Mokena, Ill./Mount Carmel) provided a sacrifice bunt attempt.
Tyler Schultz (Hobart, Ind./Hobart) then provided what would prove to be the game-tying RBI on a groundout to second.
Both teams remained deadlocked at 1-1 until the fourth inning when the Pride plated a pair of runs for a 3-1 lead and the final margin. Gasbarro led off the inning with single through the left side and was followed by
Anthony Fumagalli's (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North High School) double down the right field line. Gasbarro scored when
Gannon Andrews' (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern High School) hot shot to short was misplayed giving the Pride a 2-1 lead. The Beavers then got a double play to stop the threat, but not before PNW's final tally occurred when Fumagalli scored.
The Pride were outstanding on defense all afternoon as showcased on the final play of the game when Shively notched a strikeout and Andrews thwarted a would-be steal attempt for a strike-em out, throw-em out double play.
UP NEXT
PNW will have a couple days rest before hosting the Upper Iowa Peacocks this weekend for doubleheaders on both Saturday and Sunday. First pitch each day is scheduled for 1 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.
