CALEDONIA, Mich. – The Davenport baseball team hosted Cornerstone University for the second straight day and this time it was a 7-6 score, but in favor of the Golden Eagles in non-conference action. A total of 13 pitchers were used in the nine-inning game and the Golden Eagles broke a 6-6 tie with an unearned run in the top of the ninth. Cornerstone improved to 7-12 overall while Davenport is now 11-4 and had their five-game win streak snapped.
How it Happened: Davenport got on the board first with a run in the bottom of the second.
Noah Marcoux walked and
Alex Huard doubled him to third.
Jake Bozzo then hit a sacrifice fly to left for the 1-0 lead.
Cornerstone scored three times in the top of the third against
Duncan Gillett who replaced
Cal Djuraskovic. Jarod Burton drove in the first run on a RBI single. Brandon Hepp drove in the second run on a bases loaded groundout to second. Joe Corsten drove home the third run on a RBI single with two outs.
Spencer Vainavicz came in to get the final out of the inning on a comebacker to the mound.
Davenport tied the game at 3 in the bottom of the fourth. Brett Shure entered the game for Cornerstone and Marcoux greeted him with a single. Huard drew a walk and Marcoux and Huard scored on a double by Bozzo to right center. Bozzo was thrown out at third trying to stretch his double into a triple.
DU took a 5-3 lead after five innings.
Nolan Bryant doubled down the left field line with one out.
Hunter Ruhstorfer walked and both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Marcoux hit a deep sacrifice fly to right center which scored Bryant. Huard then greeted new pitcher Clayton Coatney with a RBI double for the two-run lead.
Cornerstone got one run back in the top of the sixth off
Cole Sanderson. Corsten led off with a walk and Dustin DeBeau singled him home with two outs. The Golden Eagles took a 6-5 lead in the top of the seventh.
Max Swan gave up two runs on a two-out double by Corsten who hit the ball just over the head of Ruhstorfer in center.
Davenport tied it up at 6 in the bottom of the seventh.
Jimmy Filipski had a pinch hit RBI grounder to second to score Huard who walked with one out.
Pete Zeimis entered in the top of the ninth and took the loss. Hepp reached on an error to start the inning. He took second on a passed ball and went to third on a single by Trenton Gilman. Corsten drove in his fourth run of the game with a sacrifice fly to center.
Davenport faced Noah Reed in the bottom of the ninth after he came on to get the final out of the eighth. Reed retired the first batter and then Huard continued his hot game with an infield single to short. Huard took second on a passed ball and Bozzo hit a ball to the warning track in right moving Huard to third.
Cobe Huizenga hit the first pitch on a chopper to second which ended the game.
Game Notes: Zeimis took the tough loss giving up one unearned run in the ninth and struck out two. Davenport pitchers struck out eight batters and walked six. Djuraskovic went the first two innings and allowed no runs with two walks and four strikeouts. Bozzo drove in five runs in the two games against Cornerstone. He had three RBI all of last season. Huard finished 3-for-3 with two walks reaching base on all five plate appearances. He hit two doubles marking the first time he did that in a game at DU.
On Deck: Davenport will start GLIAC action on Friday, March 22 against Saginaw Valley State. The four-game weekend series will begin at 4 p.m. at Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex. The two teams split a four-game series at SVSU last season.
