DAVENPORT, Fla. – The Carleton College baseball team began its Spring Break trip with a sweep of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Trailblazers. A furious comeback in game one led to a 10-8 Knights' victory in extra innings, and rookie
Ryan Kessner threw a gem in game two to help Carleton to a 6-3 triumph.
Game 1 – Carleton 10, MCLA 8 (8 inn.)
The Trailblazers (4-5) posted three runs in the first with the help of a pair of errors. Carleton (2-4) immediately responded with four runs of its own in the top of the second.
Jackson Darke pounded a triple to right-center and scored on
Adam Rubin's single.
Sam Chutkow, making his season debut, tripled in Rubin, and
Reece Wellsandt brought Chutkow around with a double off the wall. Wellsandt touched home on an error later in the inning, giving the Knights a 4-3 lead.
A walk, a bunt for a hit, and an RBI bloop single in the MCLA second tied the game at 4-4. A two-run double from Joe Sardo in the third then put the Trailblazers up 6-4. The Bay State squad pushed across a run in the fourth on a passed ball and tacked on another on a bases-loaded walk in the fifth inning, but
Xander Stolberg came from the bullpen and struck out the next batter. MCLA still led 8-4 with two innings left.
Darke led off the sixth by doubling to left, and Chutkow walloped a home run to right field to cut the lead to 8-6. In the top of the seventh,
Nathan Barnhart took a hit-by-pitch and moved to third on
Ryan Chang's ground-rule double. The next two Knights struck out, and Darke stepped up with Carleton down to its final out. The first-year outfielder singled into center field, scoring both baserunners and tying the game. Stolberg threw a scoreless bottom half to send the game to extras.
Chutkow walked to start the eighth. Wellsandt moved him over to third while reaching on an error after a well-executed bunt.
Andrew Sellers put the ball in play, and the Trailblazers committed another error, allowing Chutkow to score. Barnhart scored Wellsandt with a sacrifice fly for some insurance. Stolberg struck out a pair of batters in the bottom half of the inning, securing the win for the Knights.
Jackson Corcoran got the starting nod and collected a career-best six strikeouts over his 3.0 innings on the bump.
Jake Stern threw 1.2 relief innings, striking out two without allowing an earned run. Stolberg earned his first career win with 3.1 hitless innings, striking out three.
Darke finished 3-for-4, a home run shy of the cycle. The rookie scored twice and drove in two clutch runs. Rubin registered two knocks, a run, and an RBI. Chutkow reached three times in four plate appearances, scoring thrice and knocking in three teammates.
Game 2 – Carleton 6, MCLA 3
Kessner began his first collegiate start with a pair of zeroes, and Carleton jumped all over the Trailblazer starter in the bottom of the second.
Tyler Vandersall laced a single to left, stole second, and
Leo Feingold lined an RBI knock to left.
Wilson Taraday cracked a single up the middle to bring Feingold home, and Chang continued the hit parade with a fourth consecutive single. The Knights got to two outs, but the scoring was not over. Barnhart brought in two runs with a single to left center and scored himself by another Darke double.
Will Schnepf stroked a hit to center to score Darke, giving the Knights a 6-0 lead.
Kessner continued to roll, throwing blanks in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. MCLA's pitching staff bore down and matched Kessner's scoreless innings. Kessner entered the seventh looking to complete his shutout, but a two-out error allowed the Trailblazers to load the bases and score three runs on a Jake Jaminski triple.
Dan Avillo entered the game with the tying run on deck and induced a game-ending groundout from his only batter faced to earn his first career save.
Vandersall was 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Feingold went 2-for-2 with a double, a run driven in, and a run scored. All but one Carleton starter reached base.
Kessner finished with 6.2 excellent innings, scattering six hits, walking one, and striking out four. The hurler did not allow an earned run and picked up his first career win.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton squares off with the University of Wisconsin-Stout tomorrow at 10:45 a.m. EDT/9:45 a.m. CDT. The game will take place at Northeast Regional Park Field No. 4
