MANKATO, Minn. --- Crown College Baseball split with the Bethany Lutheran Vikings on Wednesday afternoon, taking game one 11-6 and falling in game two 8-2. Splitting with the Vikings is an important accomplishment in terms of playoffs and a potential UMAC Championship, as Bethany was picked first in the UMAC Coaches Preseason Poll. Second place in that same poll was St. Scholastica, who the Storm split with on Saturday.
Game one featured another stellar pitching performance from senior Eric Newman. For Newman, it was a bit of a home game despite being an hour from campus as he has competed for the Northwoods League's Mankato Moondogs in the summer. The Moondogs ballpark hosts the Vikings' home games during the collegiate season. The senior continued his impressive strikeout streak, with ten Ks in six innings of work, only one walk allowed, and his third win of the season. Newman now holds a 12.6 K/9 ratio and a 48:13 strikeout to walk ratio on the year.
Reliving Newman was first-year Jacob Van Dam, who has received plenty of work these last two series. Van Dam finished the remaining three innings, allowing one earned run and picking up his first save of his collegiate career.
After the Vikings scored two first-inning runs, the Storm came back with a vengeance in the second inning, scoring six runs and batting around. It all started when Kyle Schroedle hit a double, eventually scoring on a wild pitch. Then, Tristan Shoemaker hit a single to score Rhys Dewick, and a pitch hit Mason Brock. Next, the Storm hit three consecutive RBI singles; Seth Betts singled to score Shoemaker and Aaron Clogston, Bailey Sarto singled to score Brock, and Kyle Schroedle, up again, singled to score Betts.
The scoring paused there with the Storm ahead 6-2 until the fourth inning, when Mason Brock hit a solo shot for his fifth home run of the season. Crown next added three runs in the seventh inning, with Rhys Dewick scoring Kyle Schroedle on a single, Dewick scoring on a wild pitch, and Nick Schroedle scoring Clogston on a single.
Kyle Schroedle hit his eighth home run of the season in the eighth inning, matching the Storm career record in only 23 games this season. Of course, it is not a foregone conclusion he ends the season with the mark, with teammate Seth Betts currently tied with him. Speaking of Betts, the shortstop tied the single-season triples record in this game (two at-bats before Schroedle matched the home run mark), with his sixth triple on the year with a lot of baseball left this season.
That ended the Storm scoring performance, and the team took home the win 11-6, confirming their status as a championship contender this season.
In game two, much like the St. Scholastica games last weekend, did not go the Storm's way. The Storm fell 8-2 to the Vikings, with both runs coming off the second collegiate home run for first baseman Hunter Felts, who lifted it easily out of the park and into the Moondogs scoreboard. Regrettably, it did not cause the scoreboard to rain sparks on the basepaths like in The Natural, and baseball continued as scheduled.
First-year Aidan Volk-Specht received the call on the mound for game one, pitching two innings before being relieved for junior Dylan Balfour. Balfour pitched one inning, striking out two before Tyler VanCise came in for three innings, with an impressive five Ks. Kevin Golden closed out the game in the last two innings with some great pitching, allowing no runs, two hits, and taking down four Viking batters on strikeouts to finish for the Storm.
Next up, the Crown College takes on the Northland Lumberjacks at home on Saturday at Woody Swanson Field in Carver. The Storm are looking to continue their success against Northland, as they swept them in 2019 and won the second game 18-1. If you have a Crown ID or are on the guest list, you may attend the contest as a spectator.
