REDLANDS, Calif.—The Carleton College baseball team is still looking for its first win after dropping a 17-7 setback to Denison University in the first game of the Knights’ Spring Break trip. Four untimely errors coupled with 16 Denison hits led to Carleton’s most lopsided loss of the young season. Patrick Philley (Jr./Gig Harbor, Wash./Charles Wright Academy) led the Knights with a four hits and a run scored on the day, and Ray Yong (Fy./Elmhurst, Ill./York) had two doubles and a pair of RBI.
The Big Red (3-5) got on the board early and often against starter Henry Rownd (So./Rochester, Minn./Lourdes) crossing the plate four times in the first two frames. The Knights (0-4) got a run back in the bottom half of the second on a Kiyota Gomi (Jr./Dobbs Ferry, N.Y./Ardsley) groundout to cut into the Denison lead.
Denison extended its advantage to 6-1 during the following frame with a two-run homer by Peter Krieger. Carleton promptly answered, batting around to score six runs on four hits and a pair of Big Red miscues. Yong delivered the big blow in the inning with a two-run ground rule double.
However, Carleton’s slim lead was short lived as Denison sent nine batters to the plate in the next half inning, scoring six more runs off of Rownd. The Big Red took advantage of the two errors to extend the inning, which included in Krieger’s second home run of the contest and fourth over the last two days. Rownd’s day would be done after allowing 12 runs (seven earned) on eight hits and five walks in 4.0 innings of work.
Just when it looked like the game was destined to be a shootout, the Carleton offense went cold and was unable to muster another run. Denison relievers Freddy Marino (1-0), Philip Seay, Hunter Sorensen, and Sam Belisle combined for 6.2 scoreless innings to secure the victory.
The Knights and Big Red will play two more games tomorrow, March 17, at The Epicenter, the home stadium of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Class A minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers). The doubleheader will start at 10 a.m. PDT/12 p.m. CDT.
