The Tiffin University baseball team dropped two games on Thursday to Kentucky Wesleyan College, by the scores of 7-6 and 4-1.
In game one, the Dragons jumped out of the box, scoring three runs, all with two outs. It started with a Nick Hueneberg single, and then Cody Spires pushed Hueneberg home on a ball that was rifled down the right field line for a double. Elijah Sanabria then singled to left field to score Spires, and the Dragons led 2-0. The final run of the inning came off an Alex Hartley base hit into right field to score Sanabria.
Kentucky Wesleyan came to bat in the top of the 2nd and came after the Dragons. They scored four runs in the inning to take a 4-3 lead. The runs came off of Tiffin starter Tyler Nichols. Nichols walked the leadoff man, then gave up a double, and walked another batter to load the bases. A sac fly made it 3-1, but back to back doubles plated the next three runs. The Dragons now trailed 4-3.
The Panthers added two more runs in the 4th, a pair of singles put runners at first and second, and a sacrifice bunt moved the runners up a base. A two out single scored both runners, and Wesleyan led 6-3.
Tiffin chipped away at the Panther lead, scoring 3 runs to tie the ballgame. Cody Spires started the rally when he ripped a double into center field, that was followed up with Elijah Sanabria's second RBI single of the game. After Alex Hartley singled, he was pinch run for by Nick Raifsnider. Seth Bryant stepped to the plate and took matters into his own hands, lacing a double into the outfield to score both Sanabria and Raifsnider. The Dragons had tied the game at 6-6.
Tyler Nichols, Tiffin's starting pitcher, ran out of gas, and was lifted after 6 innings of work, but was responsible for the winning run on base when he left. Nichols surrendered 9 hits, 7 runs, all earned, walked 3 and struck out 3. Kyle Montell was summoned from the bullpen to relieve Nichols, entering the game with a man on first. That runner then stole second base, and advanced to third on a chopper hit to the left side of the infield. With the go ahead run at third, Kentucky Wesleyan singled to right field to take the lead at 7-6.
Tiffin went quietly in the bottom half of the inning, falling 7-6. Tyler Nichols took the loss on the mound for the Dragons, and is still in search of his first win of the 2015 campaign. Montell went one inning and gave up a hit.
Offensively, the Dragons had 11 hits in game one, including five players with two hits. Elijah Sanabria went 2 for 3 and knocked in two runs. Seth Bryant was on base every time he stepped to the plate, collecting 2 hits, a walk, and 2 RBIs.
In game two, the Dragons sent GLIAC Pitcher of the Week Logan Sendelbach to the mound. Sendelbach retired the first batter of the game on a bouncing ball to second, but gave up a double to the next batter. The three hole hitter took a base on balls, and the cleanup batter laced a single into right field to put the Panthers up 1-0.
The Panthers tacked on three more runs in the 4th, as the Dragons imploded in the inning, committing three errors and hitting two batters. Kentucky Wesleyan had one hit in the inning, but pushed three runs to the plate, all unearned. This put Tiffin behind 4-0.
The Dragons dented the plate in the top of the 6th for their only run of the game. Nick Hueneberg and Cody Spires both singled with two outs, Elijah Sanabria stepped to the plate and lined a pitch right back up the middle for an RBI. The score was now 4-1, and it would stay that way.
Logan Sendelbach took the loss on the bump for the Dragons. He only lasted 4 innings, giving up 4 runs, 1 earned, on 5 hits. Sendelbach walked one, struck out one, and hit three batters, but Logan received little help by his defense and offense. The Dragons tallied five errors, and stranded seven runners on base. He was relieved by Steven Gonzalez. Gonzalez threw two clean innings, not allowing a single base runner.
At the plate, the Dragons had more hits than Kentucky Wesleyan, collecting 8 to the Panthers 5. Garrett Vernau and Nick Hueneberg each had a pair of hits, and Elijah Sanabria drove in the only Tiffin run.
The Dragons fall to 4-8 overall, and will be back in action tomorrow against Upper Iowa.
