Baseball Secures First Division II Win Against Kentucky State

(FLORENCE, KY)-Thomas More University's baseball team defeated Kentucky State on Tuesday (Feb 20),17-7 in eight innings, to secure the Saints first Division II win. The Saints overall record improves 1-3.

• In the bottom of the first inning, senior Gavin Pearson (Burlington, Ky./Cooper) hit a ball over the center fielder's head for a double to score junior AJ Enginger (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin) (2-0).
• Sophomore Ben Duncan (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Bradley) doubled to center to send in sophomore Jeremy Ward (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) to make it a 3-0 game in the bottom of the second. Junior Gavin Vogelgesang (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier) hit a sac fly to center field to score Ben Duncan (4-0).
• Kentucky State would score four runs in the top of the third inning to tie the game at 4-4.
• In the bottom of the fifth inning, Jeremy Ward smoked a ball to center field for a triple to score sophomore Gunner Kalkhoff (Cincinnati, Ohio/La Salle) to help the Saints regain the lead (5-4). Jeremy Ward would then score on a pass ball to extend the lead to 6-4.
• Kentucky State would score two runs in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game up once again at 6-6.
• The Saints would get hot in the bottom of the sixth inning, with back to back players (first year Ty Cunningham (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield) and sophomore Riley Poston (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) being walked in with bases load to give the Saints a 8-6 lead. Gunner Kalkhoff would hit a hard hit ball off of the pitcher for a double which would score Gavin Pearson and AJ Enginger to extend the lead to 10-6. Graduate student Derek Atwood (Burlington, Ky./Conner) scored on a hit ball to left field by Ben Duncan to make it a 11-6 game.
• Kentucky State would score one run in the top of seventh inning (11-7).
• Gavin Vogelgesang doubled to center field to score Ty Cunningham in the bottom of the seventh inning (12-7). Gavin Vogelgesang and AJ Enginger would both score off pass balls to extend the lead to 14-7. Gavin Pearson scored off of a bases loaded hit by pitch to make it a 15-7 game.
• Jeremy Ward singled to center field for a walk off hit to score AJ Enginger to run rule the Thorobreds 17-7 in eight innings.

• Gavin Vogelgesang went 2-4 at the plate with a double, two RBIs, and scored two runs.
• AJ Enginger was 1-4 and scored four runs.
• Gavin Pearson was 1-3 with one double, three walks, three RBIs, and scored two runs.
• Gunner Kalkhoff was 1-3 with one double, two RBIs, and scored two runs.
• Jeremy Ward went 2-5 with a triple, two RBIs, and scored two runs.

• First year Jacob Murphy (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove) pitched 4.0 innings, allowing four earned runs off six hits and struck out four.
• First year Ethan Stone (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton) pitched 2.0 innings, allowing two earned runs off four hits and struck out one. 
• Sophomore Ian Bierbaum (Cincinnati, Ohio/La Salle) pitched 2.0 innings, allowing one unearned run off one hit and struck out one.

The Saints return to action this weekend in a series against West Virginia Wesleyan beginning Saturday (Feb 24) in a double header starting at 12:00 pm ET at Thomas More Stadium.