Tucson, Ariz. – The 2015 Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks Baseball campaign got underway on Sunday with the Hawks taking on Central College of Iowa for two seven inning games. The Hawks were looking to win the opening game for the third year in a row but fell short in game one of the double-header losing 6-5 on a walk off single in the bottom of the last inning. In the night cap the Hawks returned the favor in the bottom of the seventh inning when Alex Babusci (SR, Park Ridge, IL) scored the walk off winning run on a passed ball to give Tech the 5-4 victory.
Game 1
As the visiting team for game one the Hawks came out of the gym swinging hot bats. The spring trip is most of the time the first baseball the team gets to play since the fall practices. In the top of the first, leadoff hitter Austin Boos (JR, Indianapolis, IN) hit a triple into the gap. "You know many people believe that the baseball gods give you a look into the future of how your season will turn out by your teams lead off at bat of your first game. And if that is true there may be some good things to come for the Scarlet Hawks." Added Head Coach Scott Marks (3rd year). Two hitters later Mike Malfeo (SR, Orland Park, IL) doubled home Boos to score run number one. Then two hitters after that Sam Pung (JR, Ludington, MI) doubled home Malfeo. Tech would go on to add two more runs in the 3rd inning and one run in the 5th but that was just one too few to get the win. Boos ended the game with 2 hits and 3 runs scored. Malfeo contributed 2 hits, 1 run scored and 2 runs batted in. While Babusci, Pung, Brian Colon (JR, Carolina, PR), and Ryan Fitzpatrick (SR, Chicago, IL) all had one hit.
On the other side of the ball, Elliot Chibe (SO, Palos Park, IL) was the opening day starting pitcher. He went 4.0 innings, spreading out 8 hits, and giving up 4 runs (2 earned). He handed the ball over to Cory Winiecki (SO, Des Plaines, IL) for 1.2 innings where Cory pitched through 1 hit and 1 earned run allowed. Next up was Andrew Gustafson (SR, Park Ridge, IL) for 0.1 innings allowing 1 run. Mike Malfeo was called upon after the first batter in the 7th inning reached by error. So in a tie game with the winning run on base it took two singles to score the final run.
Game 2
The Hawks as the home team in the second game took advantage of having the last at bat. After Babusci singled home Colon in the 3rd inning for the lead, Central put up their only runs of the game with a 4-run 4th inning. The bats responded right away for Illinois Tech, evening the score back up at 4-4 in the bottom of the inning - off a Colon single that scored both Darwin Argumedo (SR, Cartagena, Columbia) and Boos while moving Fitzpatrick into scoring position, from where he would score on a wild pitch later in the inning.
The winning sequence started with a Babusci walk to leadoff the bottom of the 7th inning. "A leadoff walk especially in the last inning in a tie game is a huge deal in baseball. We harp to our pitchers that scenario specifically is one of the worst you can put yourself into. So I thought at that time we had a great chance to capitalize," said Coach Marks after the game. After the walk Babusci advanced to second base off an error by the Central College pitcher and later Gustafson grounded out to the second baseman to advance Babusci to third. Boos was intentionally walked and then stole second base. To end it all for good, Babusci dove into home plate just passed the lunging Central College pitcher to score for the win.
On the mound James Tarala (SO, Crown Point, IN) was the starter going 5.0 innings giving up 6 hits, 4 runs (all earned), with 1 walk and 1 strikeout. Andrew Lamkin (FR, Washington, MI) finished the final 2.0 innings allowing only 1 hit, while strikeing out 3 and no walks but most importantly allowing 0 runs. Lamkin got the winning decision to go (1-0) on the season and to get it in his first appearance in his first collegiate game was pretty special too.