No surrender in these guys

By Patrick Costello

The baseball team concluded the non-conference portion of its season with a 6-4 record, which seems to align with the American Rivers Conference preseason coaches poll that picks the Duhawks to finish midway up the standings in conference play.

The 6-4 record doesn’t tell the full story, however. In three of its four losses, Loras lost by just one run. The other loss was a two-run defeat.

It could be a good sign that the team has either been victorious or fought to the last out in all 10 games it has played.

“For the season so far, I feel like a majority of our success is based with the fight that this team has. We have pitchers that are constantly battling and our sticks have been a huge proponent to the success we have had,” senior co-captain Robbie Agerbeek said. “As for the remainder of our season, I am encouraged by the young arms stepping into major roles, and the lineup being solid from top to bottom. As long as we continue to battle and have good outings from our staff and good at-bats from our lineup, big things should be expected from this team.”

Loras entered conference play Sunday against the Prairie Wolves of Nebraska Wesleyan. The first game of the series was played on a miserable day: cold, windy and misty under a dark-gray sky.

Nebraska Wesleyan struck first with a solo home run in the third inning, then gradually stretched the lead to 4-0 heading into the eighth inning.

Despite being shut out for eight innings, the Duhawks have faith in their lineup’s potential to rally at any given time. The other senior so-captain, Austin Konagel, sparked the bats with an RBI double that drove in junior outfielder Bill Luzzo.

Nonetheless, heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, the Duhawks still trailed by four runs.

Centerfielder Danny Paluch got the Duhawks going by drawing a lead-off walk. This was immediately followed by another patient at-bat by Agerbeek, who also drew a base on balls. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch and scored. An RBI single by sophomore third basemen Dylan Pardoe enabled the Duhawks to cut the lead in half.

However, the Loras rally faltered soon after, and Wesleyan claimed a 5-3 win.

The second and third games of the series were played Monday. The Duhawks bats went to work in both of the games, scoring 7 and 8 runs, respectively. In the first game of the doubleheader, Loras gained some separation in the sixth inning. Until then, the score was deadlocked at 2.

But a string of hits by Agerbeek, Pardoe and Luzzo drove in a total of four runs. In the meantime, solid pitching efforts by sophomore Erik Edminster and first-year Ethan Peters held the Prairie Wolves in check. Loras won the second game of the series, 7-2, to set up the decisive “rubber match.”

“It really is (important to win the first series of conference play]; we didn’t play well in the first (game), but coming out here and taking the sweep (of the doubleheader) was a must,” Coach Carl Tebon said. “This conference is so good from top to bottom; we can’t take any win for granted.”

The Duhawks jumped to a three-run lead in the third inning by creating some havoc on the basepaths. With runners on first and third, Cole Thompson got into a rundown between first and second, distracting the Wesleyan defense just enough to allow the runner at third, Luke Fennelly, to break for home. Fennelly scored and forced an errant throw as he scored.

Later in the inning, Agerbeek and Paluch teamed up together on another firstand-third double steal to plate the final run on the inning.

This was all the support first-year pitcher Curtis Lilienthal and the relief staff would need to win the decisive third game, 8-2.

Loras will travel to Storm Lake, Iowa, this weekend to take on another conference opponent, Buena Vista, beginning with Friday night’s game that starts at 6 p.m.