Auburndale, FL - The Martin Luther College baseball team played its opening doubleheader of their annual trip to Central Florida on Monday afternoon against the Wentworth Institute of Technology. The Boston school would defeat MLC
8-1 in the first game and
4-3 in the backend of the doubleheader, despite the Knights outplaying them for the majority of the game.
Wentworth 8, MLC 1
The Leopards began game one with four runs in the first inning and got a nice performance from freshman pitcher, Nigel Cross, who pitched four innings with one earned run allowed. The Knights scored their only run of the game in the second inning from a
Mark Vogel sacrifice fly. The lone hit of the game for the Knights came from
Mason Cox in the previous inning.
However, The MLC lineup did produce six walks and did get on base to threaten in various innings.
Connor Heckendorf threw five innings, giving up seven runs (6 earned) and the southpaw fanned three Wentworth batters in the effort.
Wentworth 4, MLC 3
In the second game, MLC received its best outing of the season from pitcher
Matt Rieger. The senior showcased his ability to get out of innings and went the distance in his second start of the season.
The Leopards struck first in the bottom of the first inning when Matt Mcduff singled up the middle.
Carter Seltz gave the Knights some momentum in the next half inning when he belted a long ball to right field. The home run tied it up at 1-1.
The left side of the MLC infield (
Parker Winghart and
Caleb Heckendorf) then showcased their range and glove on defense to help keep the game intact.
Heckendorf put the Knights up 2-1 with a sacrifice fly for their first lead of the invitational in the the top of the fourth. Christian Peruzzi then responded with a game-tying homer to make it 2-2 in the bottom of the inning.
Rieger battled hard in the bottom of the fifth frame and got out of a two-out bases loaded jam, that silenced the Wentworth crowd that made the trip down south.
The game saw another lead change in the top of the sixth inning after
Jackson Lindemann scored from second base (3-2) on a throwing error from Michael Petit. The error occurred on an overthrow from a Heckendorf grounder.
The Leopards then benefited from a John Golebieski pinch hit sacrifice fly that tied it up again (3-3) in the bottom of the sixth. MLC looked to finish things off when they got two runners on base with no outs, but the game remained tied after Brodi Farinas retired the next three batters.
Following those events, Wentworth walked off the game after two MLC errors occurred in consecutive at bats from Rieger and Winghart.
Despite the loss, MLC outhit the Leopards 10-6, but left 10 runners on base in the seven frames played. The middle of the MLC lineup hit well, as Cox, Seltz, and Lindemann finished with two hits.
Rieger allowed four runs (3 earned) on just six Wentworth hits.
MLC (0-5) returns to the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex tomorrow morning (Tuesday, March 5) for a doubleheader against Alfred University.
