Week 3 of the NAIA Baseball season kicked off on a cloudy Friday in Springfield, as the Bushnell Beacons took on the Saint Martin’s Saints in a doubleheader. The Beacons came into the weekend with a 5-3 record after splitting the four-game series last weekend against The Masters University Mustangs.
The Beacons looked to stay more consistent on offense as they were shut out in both losses to the Mustangs. One of the struggles so far this season for Bushnell has been leaving runners on base. Coming into this series, they had left 65 runners stranded, so they needed to take a leap with their offense.
Saint Martin’s entered the weekend 2-5 with a two-game losing streak that they hoped to bring to an end. The Saints needed the bats to get hot to get back to .500, as they are yet to hit a home run on the season and only have seven extra-base hits.
Game 1: Bushnell 9, Saint Martin’s 1
Austin Wolfe started this Friday the 13th matchup for the Beacons and established fear in the eyes of the Saints hitters, striking out four of the first seven batters through the first two innings.
After a scoreless first inning from both teams, Bushnell put the first runs on the board after two RBI-singles from Josh Miyazawa and Max Richards to take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second, but left two runners on base.
The offense for the Beacons was on fire throughout the first five innings with nine base hits, including Nate Stevens driving in one more run after another RBI-single to extend their lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the third inning.
Saint Martin’s bats started out cold, as their first base hit didn’t come until a Bransyn Hong single in the top of the sixth inning. However, it was a short-lived half after the Beacons’ infield turned a 5-4-3 double play.
This first game of the doubleheader featured a pitching battle between both teams as Wolfe dealt a shutout for seven innings, striking out nine Saints batters and only walking two.
“Wolfe was outstanding,” manager Jaime Womack said in praise of his starter.
Saint Martin’s had its ace, Hudson Normand, who pitched six innings. Even though he allowed nine hits, he was still able to hold Bushnell to only three runs before being switched out for reliever Aidan Bray.
The most offense featured in this game came in the bottom of the seventh for the Beacons as they scored four runs, featuring three hit-by-pitches that allowed two runs to score. An RBI-double in the gap from Stevens followed — his second hit for the game, extending the Bushnell lead to 7-0.
Saint Martin’s scored its first run of the game in the top of the eighth after Hong drove in a run with a single to make it 7-1. It was his second hit of the game as the only Saints’ batter to record a base knock. Beacons’ reliever Elijah Breault was able to escape a bases-loaded jam in the inning after coming in for Taylor Pierce, who walked all three batters he faced.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Beacons realized they were not satisfied enough with the lead with two outs as pinch-hitter Jaden Thomson brought in two more with a single.
Unfortunately, the Saints were not able to mount a comeback as the final out came from Zen Stazkow, who flew out to center field, to end the first game of the doubleheader with the Beacons taking the win.
Game 2: Bushnell 12, Saint Martin’s 1
Following a Bushnell win in the first part of the double-header, the Beacons looked to go undefeated on Friday with their starter, Loreto Siniscalchi, taking the bump against Nikki Scott and Saint Martin’s.
After only recording two hits in the first game, the Saints got a pair of quick knocks, starting off with a single from Stazkow, who came around to score after an RBI-double from Evan Nichol.
Despite also giving up two walks, Siniscalchi was able to escape a bases-loaded jam to limit the damage to only one run in the top of the first.
Ultimately, Bushnell was able to strike back in the bottom of the inning with a double off the right field wall from Dylan Carson to move Albert Jennings to third, who would end up scoring on a rare balk from Scott. After the balk, Chase Nye was able to beat out an RBI bunt-single, which was able to score Carson to give the Beacons a 2-1 lead.
Bushnell made an early pitching change as Dylan Ha took the bump after the starter, Siniscalchi, only went out for one inning. The move to the pen paid off as Ha went three-up three-down with two strikeouts in the top of the second.
Nigel Fahland led off the third inning with a single, followed by a Stevens walk. Both runners scored after a Carson single, and yet another bunt single from Nye that scored Stevens to extend the Beacon lead to 4-1.
Defense was a key contributor for the Beacons as they turned not one but two double plays in the third and fourth innings.
Disaster struck for Saint Martin’s in the bottom of the fifth with a bases-loaded walk from reliever Kip Watanabe, followed by an errant throw to first base, allowing two more to score to make it 6-1.
After a great outing from Ha, Hunter Schwenk came in for the Beacons and picked up right where he left off by putting down two Saints looking. Ha threw two strikeouts, allowed two hits, one walk and zero runs in four innings pitched.
“Dylan's been looking really good,” Womack said after the game. “We've got a lot of faith in him.”
Following the support from the pitching staff, the Beacon bats got hot in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run double from Miyazawa. With two outs and bases loaded, Richards went opposite field for a three-run triple to go up 12-1.
Bushnell’s success on the mound continued with Tristan Mallari coming in for the close. He threw two strikeouts in one inning to finish the game in seven innings due to the mercy rule.