Lake Myrtle, Florida — The Dordt Defender baseball team scored nine unanswered runs to secure a 9-1 win over Cornerstone in game one of their doubleheader in Florida on Monday, March 7.
The Eagles scored in the top of the first and left a runner on third for a 1-0 lead. Dordt wasted no time in bottom of the inning with Logan Cline leading off the Dordt half with a single. A stolen base and walk later set up a sacrifice situation and Chase Edwards moved the runners up to second and third with a bunt. A passed ball got Cline across and Cade Hollingsworth foul ball to right scored Parker Hamann who was running for Luke November.
Dordt added two more in the second with Logan De Vris singling in JaeYun Kim and De Vries later scored on a balk for a 4-1 lead. After a scoreless top of the third Dordt plated five runs on six hits with Hollingsworth delivering a double and De Vries knocked in a pair with a single.
Neither team scored in the final four innings with Dordt getting its second win of the season.
Diego Benitez allowed three hits in the first inning and one over the final six innings for a four-hit win. Benitez struck out nine and walked one and faced 26 batters.
Dordt had an 11-4 hits advantage with Cline getting a single and a double. Logan De Vries had a single and double with tow runs batted in and Dylan Stanley had two singles in his season debut.
Luke November, Oliver Walczak, Kim and Nolan Christianson all had singles and Hollingsworth had his double.
Cornerstone (Michigan) earned a split of their doubleheader with Dordt on Monday afternoon in Florida with a 7-2 decision over the Defenders.
Dordt got its first run in the top of the first when Cade Hollingsworth reached on an error that score Oliver Walczak. The Eagles tied it with a run on three hits in the bottom of the first but Dordt was able to avert a big inning by forcing Cornerstone to leave the bases full.
The Eagles took the lead with a run in the third and then added another in the fourth to go up 3-1. Cornerstone took firm control of the game with a three run fifth inning with Dordt mustering a one-run answer in the seventh with Parker Hamann scoring on a passed ball. Dordt missed out on a bigger inning when the frame ended with the bases loaded.
Dordt was outhit 10-6.
Brock Spade had a multi-hit game with a pair of singles. Four other Defenders had singles.
Willem Hoekstra took the loss after going three and two-thirds and struck out four and gave up four hits with three earned runs.
Michael Ohlin and Mike Bruell came on in relief with Bruell striking out three in an inning and two-thirds.
Dordt will play Lawrence Tech in a doubleheader on Tuesday, March 8.
