Tiffin University baseball (10-18, 5-7 G-MAC) dropped the final two games of the weekend series on Sunday at Kentucky Wesleyan, falling 16-4 in game one and 7-5 in game two.
The Dragons' pitching was no match today for KWC's hot bats as the Panthers pounded out 23 total runs on 26 hits across the two games.
It was a tough way to finish the series after a promising start which resulted in a game one victory. With KWC winning three of the four, the Dragons suffered their first G-MAC series of the loss of the season after splitting their first two series and will now look forward to North Division play the rest of the way.
Game 1:
Dominic Elia did not make it out of the first inning again, allowing six runs on six hits which put the Dragons in an early 6-0 deficit. Elia, along with four other TU pitchers (Mason Brunecz, Caden Otterbacher, Patrick Dinnen, and Hayden Bush) all gave up at least one run against a red-hot Panthers lineup on Sunday. KWC scored at least one run in every inning.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth, Gavin Marceric provided a two-run single. Marceric was the only batter to record a multi-hit game while Michael Patellis and Julian Hernandez each walked twice.
Elia dropped to 2-2 on the year with the loss.
Game 2:
The Dragons had the bases loaded with one out to start the game but were unable to push across any runs once again in the series. A single by Brayden Clark and walk by Patellis loaded them, but Jovannky Skrelja and Jayden Leach came up empty at the plate. Meanwhile, KWC plated two in the first and both came with two outs.
The Dragons cut the lead in half in the second as Hernandez led off with a single. Following two stolen bases, Hernandez scored on a sacrifice fly by Marceric.
Trailing 4-1 in the fourth, the Dragons scored three to tie it. Luke Westerman brought home Skrelja with a sacrifice fly and Marceric provided a two-run single.
KWC took the lead back in the bottom of the fourth but an RBI single by Skrelja scored Clark in the fifth to make it 5-5. Luke Mager took to the mound looking to keep it tied in the fifth but a two-out, two-run double by the Panthers gave them the lead back.
Down to their last at bat, TU squandered another bases loaded opportunity in the ninth threatening to tie or take the lead. Clark singled with one to load the bases and following a pitching change, Patellis and Skrelja both struck out to end the game.
Hernandez went 4 for 4 at the plate and Clark finished with three hits.
Mager took the loss on the mound after giving up the game-winning hits. Brett Madison pitched 2.0 scoreless innings and struck out three.
TU managed just five runs in the game despite recording 15 hits.
