Fontbonne Baseball Earns First Sweep On Year Over Illinois Wesleyan
ST. LOUIS, Mo.—The Fontbonne University baseball team had its home opener today and came through with two wins over Illinois Wesleyan.
ST. LOUIS, Mo.—The Fontbonne University baseball team had its home opener today and came through with two wins over Illinois Wesleyan.
Game 1 (9 inn.)
Final: Fontbonne 8, Illinois Wesleyan 7
Game Breakdown
After the Titans took a 3-0 lead, the Griffins got on the board in the third with Colby Shivers belting his first home on the season to start the inning off. Later, with two on and one away the Griffins made it a 3-2 game with Matt Helm bringing home Braeden Dobbs on an RBI double.
Trey Kueper kept the inning alive with a double to right scoring Thomas Purschke and Helm giving Fontbonne a 4-3 lead. In the fifth, Purschke led off with a triple to left and he scored on Helm's single to center extending the advantage out to 5-3.
Fontbonne looked to finish the game off in the seventh, but Illinois Wesleyan got a two out, three-run shot off the bat of Evan Hudson making it a 6-5 contest.
In the bottom half, though the Griffins answered right back. Daniel Youngblood led off with a single and advanced to third on Dobbs' single to center. Purschke reached on a fielder's choice allowing Youngblood to score.
After both teams scored in the eighth, the Griffins had chance to win it in the ninth. Ty Keuper got things rolling with a deep triple out to center. He didn't have to wait long with Reece Harris coming through with a single to center for the walk-off win.
Top Griffins
- Daniel Youngblood: 2-for-4, 1 run scored
- Braeden Dobbs: 2-for-4, 1 run scored
- Thomas Purschke: 2-for-4, 1 run scored
- Matt Helm: 2-for-3, 2 RBI, 1 run scored
- Reese Harris: 2-for-2, 1 RBI
- Trey Kueper: 1-for-3, 2 RBI
- Colby Shivers: 1 HR
- Jake Jump: 1 win, 1.0 inning pitched
Game 2
Final: Fontbonne 5, Illinois Wesleyan 0
Game Breakdown
In the second inning, the Griffins took a 2-0 lead on Helm's first homer on the season. In the third, the Griffins extended its lead with Shivers reaching base on a one out single.
After a double by Youngblood, Dobbs singled to center scoring Shivers making it a 3-0 game. Purschke brought Youngblood home on a fielder's choice giving Fontbonne a 4-0 advantage.
Gavin Kinworthy, who earned his first career win, was dominating throughout the afternoon including sitting nine straight down that ended with two outs in the fourth.
In the sixth, the Griffins made it a 5-0 final when Helm ripped a line drive shot over the centerfield wall for his second homer of the game.
Top Griffins
Gavin Kinworthy: 6.0 IP, 4 hits, 8 strikeouts
Matt Helm: 2-for-3, 2 runs scored, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Colby Shivers: 2-for-4, 1 run scored
Daniel Youngblood: 2-for-4, 1 run scored
Up Next
The Griffins are back in action tomorrow morning when they'll host Illinois College for a single game. First-pitch at 11:30 a.m.
About Fontbonne University
Fontbonne University is a private, Catholic liberal arts university located in St. Louis, committed to a transformative education and inspiring students to become global citizens who think critically, act ethically and serve responsibly. The university, founded in 1923, is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. For more information, visit www.fontbonne.edu.
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