Baseball Sweeps Maranatha Baptist Tuesday

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- The Illinois Tech baseball team swept both games of a doubleheader against the Maranatha Baptist Sabercats at Washington Park Tuesday. The Scarlet Hawks (13-15) won the first game, 21-3, then winning the night cap 18-1.

Runs-Hits-Errors: Game 1

• Tech: 21 runs, 20 hits, 0 errors
• MBU: 3 runs, 4 hits, 3 errors

How it Happened: Game 1

•  Tech jumped on the scoreboard first in the opening inning after scoring on a wild pitch.
•  There was an answer by the Sabercats as they hit into a groudout to tie the game at 1.
•  A big second inning results in a lot of runs for the Scarlet Hawks, seven of them to be exact. Brandon Holifield hit a sacrifice fly, Darius Jones ripped a 2-RBI double, Jacob Sorenson added an RBI double and Michael Courtney reached on an error that plated three more. 
•  Trying to fight back into the game, Maranatha added two in the bottom half of the inning to make it 7-3 in favor of Tech.
•  However, Tech kept pouring on the runs, adding two in the third to make it 10-3. Sorenson roped an RBI single and Nick Blesdoe had a sac fly.
• The scoring did not stop there as three more runs were brought in by the Scarlet Hawks and made the score 13-3. Jones continued his big game with another RBI double. Holifield scored on a balk and Blesdoe singled right back up the middle.
• The Scarlet Hawks brought out their power bats in the sixth and seventh inning with four more runs in each of the innings to make it 20-3.
• Courtney hit a big time home run for his first of the season. Holifield had an RBI single, and Tyler Tucker hit a sac fly.
• With two runners on base in the bottom of the sixth inning, Claudio LoBracio smacked his second home run of the season to make it 19-3 then Matthew McMullan ripped an RBI single to make it 20-3 and that score would hold.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts: Game 1 

•  Player of the game should go to Darius Jones, who went a perfect 5-5 at the plate in the first game with four runs scored and three RBI.
•  Michael Courtney went 4-5 with four runs and also 4 RBI.
• Also hitting well with a three-hit day was Claudio LoBracio, who went 3-5 with three runs scored and RBI. 
•  Brandon Holifield went 2-3 with three runs scored and two RBI.
• Dazzling on the mound was Joseph Hindy, who recorded the victory, after going 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing only two hits, striking out six while not issuing a walk.

Runs-Hits-Errors: Game 2

• Tech: 18 runs, 17 hits, 0 errors
• MBU: 1 runs, 5 hits, 6 errors

How it Happened: Game 2

•  There was a lot of miscues by the Sabercats that the Scarlet Hawks took advantage of for some runs by getting back-to-back runs in consecutive innings by wild pitches to go ahead 2-0.
•  The Scarlet Hawks poured on three more runs in the third inning with a defensive error on Maranatha and Patrick Day ripped a 2-RBI single to right. 
•  A crooked number was in order for Tech as they added six the following inning to make it 11-1.
•  Darius Jones continued his big day with another RBI single. Then three errors in the inning led to three more runs crossing the dish.
• Trying to get on the scoreboard was the Sabercats who scratched through with a run in the bottom of the fith.
•  Another big inning for Tech as they added seven more runs in the top of the seventh. Peter Upham had an 2-RBI single to make it 13-1. Matthew Jackson got plunked with the bases-loaded to make it 14-1. Then four straight RBI singles by McMullen, Jones, Courtney, John Politis made it 18-1.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts: Game 2

•  Another standout pitching performance for the Scarlet Hawks as Chad Johnson went five innings, allowing five hits, only allowing one walk, issuing two walks and striking out four.
•  Brandon Bennitt was outstanding out the pen, in the two innings he pitched, he struck out every batter.
•  Picking up where he left off in game one, Darius Jones went 3-6 with two RBI.
•  Michael Courtney also stayed hot for game two, recording four hits in six tries with three runs scored and two RBI.
•  Another Tech player had three hits and that was John Politis who went 3-6 with two runs scored.
• Peter Upham went 2-3 in a limited day with three runs scored and RBI.

Up Next

• Illinois Tech returns to action Saturday, April 20 as the Scarlet Hawks travel to Benedictine (Ill.) to take on the Eagles for a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference doubleheader starting at 12:00 p.m. CT.