GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The cold air that was looming in Grand Rapids Saturday did not seem to slow down the sixth-ranked Davenport baseball team as the Panthers racked up 19 hits, eight walks and took advantage of five errors to defeat Lourdes in a doubleheader 5-1, 12-2 at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex.
 
The Panthers (24-2, 10-0 WHAC), winners of 15 straight – all of them at home – will meet the Gray Wolves one more time Sunday. First pitch has been moved from 1 p.m. to noon to avoid possible rain in the forecast later in the day.
 
Matt Priebe had a busy day on the base paths this afternoon, hitting a double and a triple while scoring two runs and had driven in three. Cam Cooper finished with a three-hit day with an RBI.
 
Game 1 – Davenport 5, Lourdes 0
The eventual winning runs came in the second with the benefit of two Lourdes errors. Priebe led off reaching second on a wild throw by the third baseman and scored on Nolan Wilson's single to right. After courtesy runner Matt Hoge moved to second, he would score the second run when a ground ball hit by Dre Celestijn was misplayed by the shortstop.
 
Jordan Zylstra would open the third inning with a three-bagger to left center and scored on Brendan Bender's fly ball to center. Right-hander Connor Seymour led off the fourth with an opposite field single, advanced to third on a ground out and a fly out and reached home safely on Cam Cooper's base hit up the middle. Davenport got its fifth run in the sixth inning when Nolan Wilson drew a leadoff walk, courtesy runner Hoge would score on Ryan Manning's sacrifice fly to left.
 
Bender (3-0) allowed one run on four hits and walks each in his five innings of work. Ryan Butzer took over and threw shutout ball the rest of the way for his first save of the season.
 
Game 2 – Davenport 12, Lourdes 2
The Panthers struck early to get on the board. Zylstra drew a one-out walk and Bender reached on a misfielded ground ball by the first baseman. Priebe followed by sending a pitch to right center for a two-run triple. Davenport took a 3-0 lead when Zack Sardellitti hit into a groundout.
 
Davenport added on to the lead in the fourth when Bender, with cold temperatures and calm winds, blasted a shot to right field for a solo home run. The Panthers would add two more unearned runs without recording a hit.
 
The game was put out of reach in the fourth when Zac Wilson, Cooper and Manning hit three straight singles to start the inning, Bender drove in a run on a ground out and Priebe hit an RBI single to left to bump the Panthers lead to 9-0.
 
Anthony Alarcon (4-0) had a stellar outing on the mound, allowing two unearned runs in five innings. He conceded six hits and two walks. Brandon MacKinnon carried the Panthers the rest of the way throwing two shutout innings.
 
Baseball Contact: Rick Hoskin | 616-871-6180 | rhoskin@davenport.edu
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