By Jami Sponaugle

Richmond, Ind. - On the road, the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks baseball team closed out their 4-game series against the Earlham College Quakers with games 3 and 4 taking place on Sunday. In game one, the Hawks (2-2) recorded a 7-4 victory, while the Quakers (5-2) secured game two 5-3. 

Game One (Illinois Tech 7 - Earlham 4)

• After a scoreless first inning, the Quakers took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second with a sac-fly to bring in Max Fries. 

• In the top of the third, Samuel Sproule singled allowing David Cooper to score and tie the game. The tied game wouldn't last long though as the Quakers added on a run in the bottom of the third after a single brought in Carter Vilevac. 

• Innings 4 and 5 were quiet from both sides with no runs scored. 

• The Hawks were able to take the lead in the top of the 6th. Tyler Gutsfeld opened the inning with a single to center field to get on base. Sproule followed with a double to left field, allowing Gutsfeld to score to tie the game at 2-2. In the next at bat, Sproule was able to advance to third on a fly out to right field. Sproule then scored on a sac-fly by Matthew Jackson to give the Hawks a 3-2 lead. 

• A homerun by the Quakers in the bottom of the seventh gave the home team a 4-3 lead. 

• In the 9th inning, the Hawks were able to secure their victory with multiple runs scored. To start the Hawks rally, Jackson singled to put the Hawks on the bases. Timmy Old came in to pinch run for Jackson before advancing to second on a ground out. With one out, Michael Paxson doubled to center field to bring in Old and tie the game at 4-4. Mason Kim then stepped up to bat. After singling down the left field line, Kim was tagged out at second, but Paxson was able to score to put the Hawks ahead. Then, after Cooper doubled, Matthew Bove drove him in with a double of his own. On the next play, Gutsfeld doubled through the left side, driving in Bove and giving the Hawks their ultimate 7-4 victory.

Game Two (Earlham 5 - Illinois Tech 3)

• Earlham took the early lead with a run scored by Christian Lancianese in the bottom of the 1st after a sac-fly to right field. 

• In the top of the 2nd, Paxson recorded his first homerun of the season to put the Hawks on the board and tie the game at 1-1.

• After a wild pitch in the bottom of the 3rd, Lancianese was able to score to give the Quakers back the lead. 

• The Hawks would tie the game once again in the top of the 5th. A Bove single to left field brought in Jonah Wilkes to make it a 2-2 ball-game. 

• After a scoreless 6th and 7th inning, the Hawks took the lead for the first time in the 8th inning. With bases loaded and 1-out, Jackson stepped up to bat. Jackson hit a sac-fly out to right field, allowing Joshua Minami to score and give the Hawks a 3-2 lead. Unfortunately, the lead didn't last long for the Hawks. After walking Max Fries, Jonathan Jimenez would come in to pinch run. Jimenez then stole second before scoring off a single to right field, tying the game at 3-3. The Quakers then took the eventual 5-3 victory after Noah Collins scored an unearned run and Vilevac scored on a throwing error on the same play. 

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

Game One

• Gutsfeld and Sproule both had 5 at-bats with 1 run and 2 hits. Gutsfeld ended with 1 RBI while Sproule had 2.

• Cooper finished with 4 at bats, 2 runs, and 2 hits.

• Alejandro Garcia earned the win while Ethan Jenssen picked up the save. 

Game Two

• Paxson had 4 at-bats with 1 run, 1 hit, and 1 RBI.

• Minami also had 4 at-bats with 1 run and 1 hit.

Quaker Standouts

Game One

• Vilevac ended the game with 3 at-bats, 2 runs, 1 hit, 2 RBI's, 2 walks, and a homerun. 

• 6 Quakers recorded a stolen base, Sean Jeffries picked up two.

 Game Two

• Lancianese had 3 at-bats with 2 runs and 1 hit.

• Nate Hemmerich earned the win on the mound for the Quakers. 

Head Coach Ed Zeifert Comments

"It was fun to play a weekend filled with great baseball games. We did some things really well. We have plenty to work on, but we learned, made adjustments, and found out about who we are as a team. Looking forward to practice this week and getting the opportunity to play in Florida next weekend. 

Huge thank you to our parents, families, and friends that hung with us all weekend - your energy was awesome! See you next week!"

Up Next

For Spring Break, the Hawks will be traveling to Florida where they will be playing in five games between March 11th and 15th. The trip will begin with a double header against New York University in Bradenton, Fla. with game one at 10:00a.m. CST (11:00a.m. EST), and game two at 1:00p.m. CST (2:00p.m. EST).