(FLORENCE, Ky.) – The Thomas More University baseball team won their third straight game on Wednesday afternoon and fourth out of their last five, with a 12-5 victory over the Lourdes University Gray Wolves at Thomas More Stadium.
The Saints now sit at 14-10 overall ahead of their Mid-South Conference series this weekend against the University of Tennessee Southern Firehawks.
- Lourdes took a 2-0 lead after the first inning.
- The Saints picked up their first runs of the day on a Zak Schlacter (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) two out, two RBI double down the right field line to tie up the game at 2-2.
- The Gray Wolves would retake the lead in the third, before a Derek Atwood (Burlington, Ky./Conner) single through the right side brought in Gavin Pearson (Burlington, Ky./Randall K. Cooper) to tie things up in the bottom of the inning at 3-3.
- The Saints did some damage in the bottom of the fifth, with a pair of extra base hits to start the inning.
- Jeremy Ward (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) doubled into the left center field gap to lead off the inning before Gavin Vogelgesang (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) grounded a triple all the way to the fence to bring in Ward and give Thomas More their first lead.
- A Pearson sacrifice fly would make it 5-3.
- The Saints piled it on in the sixth, scoring six runs to make it 11-3.
- Vogelgesang, Pearson, Jacob Caruso (Rootstown, Ohio/Rootstown), and Schlacter all picked up an RBI in the inning.
- The Saints would pick up one more run in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a passed ball.
- Pearson and Atwood led the team with three hits each.
- Schlacter and Kalkhoff also had two hits apiece in the game.
- Schlacter led the team with three RBI and had two doubles.
- Pearson and Vogelgesang both had two RBI each.
- Pearson scored three runs, while Bailey Martin (Independence, Ky./Simon Kenton), Kalkhoff, and Ward scored two.
- Tony Spangler (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) and Hunter Nantz (London, Ky./North Laurel) both gave up two runs over three total innings. They each had one strikeout.
- Jack Perdue (Louisville, Ky./Christian Academy) came in to throw three scoreless innings and get the victory. He struck out four Gray Wolves.
- Conner Ryle (Union, Ky./Larry A. Ryle) struck out the side during his one inning of work, while Landen Scott (Independence, Ky./Simon Kenton) struck out two in his inning and Zach Dugan (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) struck out one in his inning.
- Their 12 strikeouts as a team ties their most in a game this season (Goshen College, 2/28).
The Saints are scheduled to play a doubleheader against the University of Tennessee Southern on Friday afternoon, beginning at 2:00 p.m. in Florence, before finishing their series with one game on Saturday.