IRVINE, Calif. – The CUI baseball team rebounded nicely from a four-game skid last week with a doubleheader sweep over Hawaii Hilo on Monday afternoon at Eagles Field. The team seemed to have found their winning formula on the backs of strong starting pitching, efficient defense, and timely hitting. With both wins, Concordia improves to 11-8-1 on the season and ranks first in the PacWest standings with a 5-1 (.833) record.
Game 1: CUI 7, UHH 1
Starting pitcher
Evan Larsen supplied the longest outing of his CUI career in Game 1, going 8.0 strong innings and earning his first win of the season. The graduate student struck out nine batters while only surrendering one earned run on seven hits and two walks. He now holds a 3.94 ERA on the season and ranks fifth in the conference in strikeouts this season.
Matthew Williams came in for Larsen to close out the ninth, facing five batters on just six pitches to secure the win.
Outfielder
Michael Dixon propelled the Eagles to an early lead with a triple to right center field in the bottom of the first inning to score
Tristan Hanoian from first base.
Jackson Collins immediately pushed Dixon across by reaching on an error by the first baseman to make the score 2-0.
In the bottom of the third,
Michael Dixon led off the inning with another triple, this time on a misplay by the right fielder who was battling the sun. A batter later,
Richard Castro doubled to right center field to score Dixon and give the Eagles a three-run lead.
The offense was able to manufacture two more runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Alex Moreno led off with a single to center field, then quickly advanced to third on a stolen base and a throwing error by the catcher.
Shane Wallace then hit a fly ball to right field, scoring Moreno. Dixon continued to cause havoc, walking and then subsequently stealing second base. Collins cashed in once again with a single to right center field to score Dixon to give the Eagles a 5-1 lead.
The final two runs of the game came in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Vulcans allowed Castro to score on a wild pitch, after previously putting him on with a hit by pitch.
Nathan Benefeito bunted for a single to score
Kevin Fowler, who went 3-for-3 in the game, to bring the score to 7-1.
Game 2: CUI 7, UHH 2
The offense continued to work the Hilo pitching staff in Game 2, with five Eagles recording multiple hits and the team collecting 14 as a whole.
Shane Wallace has been a nuisance for opposing pitchers since cracking the starting lineup, batting leadoff for the first time in both games of today's doubleheader. In the second game, the Redwood City native scored three runs on three hits to improve his team-best batting average to .387 on the season.
Michael Dixon also recorded three hits in the second game, including 4 RBI off two doubles, a single, and a sac fly. Dixon finished the day 5-for-7 with four extra base hits, leading the offense with 25 hits on the season.
The Eagle fans were treated to another strong performance from the starting pitcher
Matt Des Marets, who collected his third consecutive quality start and the win. The freshman allowed one earned run on four hits in 6.0 innings while giving up just two free passes. Des Marets now holds a 2.81 ERA on the season with a .226 batting average against.
Noah McBride continued his strong start to the 2022 season, allowing just one hit in 3.0 innings in relief. He also picked up his second save of the season, and now holds an impressive 1.26 ERA in 14.1 innings on the year.
Concordia looks to sweep the series tomorrow, March 15
th, in another doubleheader at Eagles Field. CUI will also host Hawaii Pacific later this week with doubleheaders on both Friday, March 18
th, and Saturday, March 19
th.
Click HERE for the 2022 Baseball Schedule
