FORT PIERCE, Fla. – Kenyon College sophomore
Alex Gow pitched a great game Tuesday. Earlham College sophomore Joey Gerbus was even better. Neither one, however, figured into the decision as a late Lords' rally was answered by the Quakers, who escaped with a 5-4 win in their final at-bat at the Gladwin Sports Complex.
Gow got the start for Kenyon and went six innings. He allowed just five hits, struck out 11 and retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced. He ran into a rough patch in the fourth inning, giving up four runs on a hit batsman and four Earlham hits. He then recovered to retire the side, in order, in both the fifth and sixth innings.
Meanwhile, Gerbus saved his best collegiate game for Kenyon. He struck out the first six batters he faced and allowed just three hits through eight innings. Before exiting in the ninth, Gerbus tallied 10 strikeouts. He wound up yielding two runs on five hits and one walk.
With Earlham holding a 4-0 lead since the fourth inning, things began to get interesting in the top of the ninth. The inning began with Gerbus getting Kenyon's
Matt Contreras to line out to center field.
Zach Frizzera, who replaced Gow on the mound back in the seventh inning, then singled up the middle and
Patrick O'Leary followed with a single to right center. Those two hits chased Gerbus.
Domanick Michael relived Gerbus and
Justus Brown, who pinch ran for Frizzera, who was on third. Kenyon freshman
Brent Henderson then smashed a ground ball to Brian Pincura, the Quakers shortstop, who was in position to make the play. The ball, however, took a sharp hop and glanced off Pincura's shoulder, allowing Brown to score Kenyon's first run.
Alexis Galinovsky then stepped to the plate and laced a groundball to first base. The ball shot through the first baseman's legs. O'Leary and Henderson came around to score and Galinovsky moved to second base, where
Chris Santucci took over as a pinch runner.
Now 4-3 with one out and Santucci on second,
Jimmy Clark singled deep into the hole off Earlham reliever Walter Talcott. Pincura got to the ball and made the throw, but Clark was already to the bag and the throw went errant, allowing Santucci to score the tying run. Talcott retired the next two Kenyon batters and sent the game into the bottom of the ninth.
Junior
Nathan Chandler went to the mound for the Lords and struck out the first batter he faced. He then gave up a single, hit a batter and walked another to load the bases with one out. Chandler refocused and struck out the next batter, which brought leadoff man, Isaiah Shake to the plate. Shake worked the count full and then drew a game-winning walk when Chandler's final pitch missed low and inside.
Kenyon, which dropped to 8-4 with the loss, had six hits in the game. Two of those came from O'Leary, who was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Earlham improved to 6-3 with the win. The Quakers managed seven hits with three of them coming from freshman Cameron McCabe.
Wednesday is an off day for the Lords, who will return to action Thursday with a doubleheader against Western Connecticut State University, starting at 9:30 a.m.
