Versailles, Ky. – After a tough loss to Campbellsville (Ky.) earlier in the week, the Midway University baseball team bounced back with a sweep of Cincinnati Christian (Ohio) on Thursday night at Chandler Field.
In a total of 14 innings, Eagle pitchers allowed just one run as they won the first game 5-1 as well as the second game, 9-0, en route to the twinbill sweep. With the two wins, Luther Bramblett's squad moves one game above .500 for the first time in program history as they sit at 14-13 overall and 11-3 in River States Conference play.
The two teams will wrap up their four-game series on Friday night as they meet for another doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. ET at Chandler Field in Versailles, Kentucky.
Game 1: Midway 5, Cincinnati Christian 1
The Midway offense got off to a slow start as they didn't get their first hit until the fourth inning off the bat of Matthew Olson (Louisville, Ky.), but in the fifth inning, the Eagles got on the board with three runs on four hits.
The Eagles opened the inning with three straight singles from Carlos Cespedes (Santo Domingo, D.R.), Danny Maguire (Dana Point, Calif.) and Haden Fox (Somerset, Ky.) to load the bases. A sac fly from Reid Battles (Denton, Texas) scored Cespedes from third for the first run.
Then, Josh Wenning (Palmyra, Ind.) stepped to the plate and ripped a double down the left field line that scored both Maguire and Fox to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead.
After Cincinnati Christian (4-21, 0-10 RSC) plated a run in the top of the sixth, Midway answered with two runs in the bottom half. The first run came off the bat of Hector Quinones.
Against Campbellsville, the senior belted a pair of home runs and on Thursday, he did it again. The Barceloneta, PR native showcased his power once again as he crushed a 1-1 pitch and sent it over the right field fence for his sixth home run of the year.
After Quinones' solo home run, Barrett Croslin (Russellville, Ky.) and Cespedes followed with back-to-back singles. A fly out from Maguire allowed Croslin to move to third. Cespedes then stole second and caused the catcher to miss the pitch as Croslin scored on a passed ball.
Junior right-hander, Chase Heslep (Bellingham, Wash.) exited the game to start the seventh with a 5-1 lead. Freshman, Neal Kirkpatrick (Central City, Ky.) got the final three outs to seal the 5-1 win. Heslep (4-1) took home the win allowing one run on three hits in six innings with nine K's.
Game 2: Midway 9, Cincinnati Christian 0
Midway used a trio of arms to get their fourth shutout of the season as the offense plated nine runs on 10 hits en route to a 9-0 victory. James Davenport (Louisville, Ky.) started the game, while Neal Kirkpatrick and Hunter Barnes (Nicholasville, Ky.) tossed the final two innings.
Davenport got some help from his offense as they plated a run in the first inning followed by five runs in the second. In the first, Josh Wenning opened with a walk and two batters later, Hector Quinones singled to score Wenning giving Midway a 1-0 lead.
Then in the fifth, Reid Battles ripped a one-out single as he came around to score when Koy Lindsey (Sonora, Ky.) stepped to the plate and roped a double down the left field line. Noah Marion (Louisville, Ky.) was called upon to pinch run for Lindsey.
After Wenning reached on a walk, Matthew Olson reached on an error by the shortstop that allowed Marion to score and Wenning to move to third. Wenning then scored on a passed ball as Olson scored on a double from Quinones. Quinones then scored on a single from Barrett Croslin.
The Eagles added to their lead with two more runs in the fourth to make it 8-0. Quinones reached on an error by the third baseman followed by a Barrett Croslin single. After a wild pitch that allowed the runners to move up, Danny Maguire singled to score both Quinones and Croslin.
Midway plated their final run in the fifth inning when once again it was Quinones who was at the plate. Olson reached on a walk to open the inning, then Quinones ripped a double to right-center to easily score Olson from first.
The lead was more than enough for the trio of Davenport, Kirkpatrick and Barnes as they closed the door in the final innings. Davenport (3-0) took home the win as he struck out six batters allowing two hits in five innings. Kirkpatrick and Barnes retired the side in order in the sixth and seventh to seal the 9-0 win.
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