Carlinville, Ill. – Tech baseball went down state to take on Blackburn College on Saturday and came home with 11-4 and 16-4 wins. This takes the team to 15-4 overall on the 2015 campaign.
Game 1
James Tarala went the distance in game one on the mound with a very strong performance to take his pitching record to (3-0). Tarala went all 7.0 innings, spreading 10 hits, on 4 runs (all earned), with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. As for the bats they came off the bus hot with Tech scoring 2 in the first off a Brian Colon-Rodriguez 2-run home run his 5th on the season. Then the Hawks score 4 in the 2nd off a Sam Pun home run, Austin Boos 2-run home run and a William Cronin home run. Tech went right back at it in the 4th inning adding 3 more runs. With Ryan Fitzpatrick scoring on a passed ball then another Colon 2-run home run. In the 5th Boos doubled in 2 more runs.
Game 2
In the second game of the day it was much of the same with the Hawks putting up 16 runs. Cory Winiecki was awarded the win (3-1) after his 5.0 innings of 3 hit, 3 run (all earned) ball, adding 3 walks and 3 strikeouts to his season total. Next up was Andrew Gustafson who made his first appearance is a month with 1.0 innings allowing just one hit and no runs. And Andrew Lamkin finished the game for the last 1.0 innings giving up 1 hit, 1 run (earned) with 1 walk and 1 strikeout.
The offense had another big first inning putting up five runs in the half as Mike Malfeo doubled in 2 runs, Sam Pung had a sacrifice fly, Brian Colon-Rodriguez scored on an error, and Kyle Bumpass singled in another. In the 2nd inning IIT scored 3 more on a Bumpass single and Darwin Argumedo doubled home the other two. In the 3rd Tech scored 3 more runs as Malfeo doubled to score one and Colon hit another 2-run home run. In the visitor part of the 4th inning, Hawk Austin Boos singled to score Argumedo. In the last offensive frame Malfeo homered, then off the bench Zdenek Jaks singled in a run, Argumedo walked to force in another, and Andrew Lamkin walked to force in one more.
"This was the best offensive performance top to bottom I can remember having since my time at IIT," added coach Scott Marks. "We were patient at the plate and hit the long ball better in this double header than I have seen in my 12 years of college baseball." At the end of the day Tech scored 27 runs on 33 hits including 7 home runs.