On Thursday, the Purdue Northwest baseball team faced off against Davenport in a GLIAC doubleheader where the Pride would struggle to contain Davenport's offense, falling 14-2 in game one and 21-6 in game two.
The Basics
- Records: Davenport (16-5), Purdue Northwest (8-6)
- Location: Hammond, Indiana (Labors' Local 41)
- GLIAC Conference game.
The Breakdown
Game 1: L (14-2) – 7 Innings
- Bret Matthys (Cedar Lake, Ind./Hanover Central) led the Pride with two hits and two RBIs.
- AJ Reid (Highland, Ind./Highland) contributed a hit and scored a run.
- Drake Ballard (Louisville, Ky./Martha Laynes Collins) also crossed the plate for Purdue Northwest.
- Conor Pangburn (St. John, Ind./Lake Central) started on the mound for the Pride, throwing four innings with six strikeouts but allowing eight earned runs.
- Nick Mangano (Glenwood, Ill./Marian Catholic) closed the game, allowing no runs in the final inning.
- For Davenport, Dylan Pawenski and Xavier Reisbig each homered and combined for five RBIs.
- Winning pitcher Kyle Batka (5-0) tossed six innings with eight strikeouts while allowing just two runs on three hits.
- Davenport took control in the second inning with a two-run homer by Dylan Pawenski, followed by a sacrifice fly from Shane Clay to put them up 3-1.
- Purdue Northwest cut the deficit in the third when Bret Matthys (Cedar Lake, Ind./Hanover Central) singled to right, driving in Drake Ballard (Louisville, Ky./Martha Laynes Collins) to make it 3-2. However, Davenport exploded for four runs in the fourth, including a two-run homer by Zach Hopman, pushing their lead to 7-2.
- The fifth inning proved decisive as the Panthers tacked on five more runs, highlighted by Shane Clay's three-run homer. Xavier Reisbig capped off the scoring in the sixth with a two-run home run, giving Davenport a commanding 14-2 lead.
The Breakdown
Game 1: L (21-6) – 7 Innings
- Davenport opened with a four-run first inning, taking an early lead.
- The Panthers extended their advantage with three more runs in the third and one in the fourth.
- A seven-run fifth inning, highlighted by a three-run homer from Zach Hopman and a bases-clearing double from Xavier Reisbig, put the game out of reach.
- Purdue Northwest's offense managed six runs on eight hits, including a solo home run by Joey Guiliano (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) and a two-run double by Kam Earley (Pendleton, Ind./Pendleton Heights).
- Davenport sealed the victory with four more runs in the seventh inning, including home runs from Shane Clay and T. Liford.
- Winning pitcher J. Geshel (2-2) threw five innings, allowing three earned runs while striking out five.
- Owen Walkowiak (Crown Point, Ind./Andrean) (1-2) took the loss for Purdue Northwest, surrendering seven runs (six earned) over three innings.
Up Next:
The Pride will look to bounce back as they continue their homestand against Davenport tomorrow, March 22nd, with a doubleheader at 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM CT.
Â