The Buccaneers remained undefeated with a sweep of Lawrence Sunday setting the program record for consecutive wins. Beloit topped the Vikings 10-6 and 9-5 to move to 8-0 on the season and win their 16th straight dating back to last season.
Brett Kiger powered the Bucs in game one with two, nearly three, homeruns. Lawrence used the longball to take an early lead with a leadoff four-bagger in the top of the first. Kiger and the Bucs responded in the bottom of the second with a no-doubt, two-run blast to give Beloit a 2-1 lead.
Balholm connected on a solid shot that easily cleared the fence in right field for another Buc homer to make it 3-1. In his next at bat, Balholm blasted another ball to straight center legging out a triple. He came in to score on
James Wicker's sacrifice fly to center to push the lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth.
Lawrence came back with a single run in the top of the sixth that was quickly negated by Beloit in the bottom of the inning. Kiger nearly had his second homerun in three at bats in the game. Going oppo, Kiger drilled an outside pitch that looked like it would clear the wall in right but the ball hit the top of the yellow fence protector and bounced back into play for a double.
Deven Irwin singled to right field plate Kiger from second and push the lead to 5-2.
The Vikings had a single run cross the plate in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to two but Kiger and the Bucs weren't finished yet.
In the bottom of the eighth,
Garrison Ferone led off with a single to right.
Matt O'Leary followed with a single through the left side to put runners on the corners bringing Kiger, the designated hitter with a hot bat, to the plate. Kiger crushed an absolute bomb that sailed over the fence in left, cleared the batting cages on the other side of the wall and ended up on the Bucs' softball field. The three-run jack extended the lead to 8-3.
Irwin kept the inning going with a double to left center and before it was over, Beloit had two more come in to score to make it 10-3.
Lawrence responded with a three-run homer of their own in the top of the ninth but the Bucs held on for the 10-6 win.
Kiger had a career game going 3-4 at the plate with a double, two homeruns, three runs scored and five runs batted in. O'Leary also went 3-4 at the plate adding a pair of runs scored.
AJ Parnell picked up the win on the mound to improve to 3-0 on the season. He allowed six hits and two earned runs while striking out five in 5.1 innings of work.
The Bucs continued to use the longball to bolster their offense in the nightcap. Beloit blasted 11 hits including four doubles and a pair of homeruns in game two.
Garrison Ferone continued where Beloit had left off from game one, with a two-run homer that cleared the fence that stand at 380 in straight center field in the bottom of the first.
The Vikings came back to tie the game with two runs in the top of the third but O'Leary had the response with a two-run jack to left center in the bottom of the frame to make it 4-2 Beloit.
Balholm's hot shot up the middle in the top of the fourth was knocked down by the pitcher but fell in for a RBI single to extend the lead to 5-2.
Lawrence tallied single runs in the fifth and seventh before the Buc offense got back to work. In the bottom of the seventh, O'Leary singled to left center to plate two before Kiger and Irwin traded doubles to bring in two more giving Beloit a 9-4 cushion.
The Vikings plated a run in the top of the fifth before the Bucs' defense sealed the win.
O'Leary went 3-4 at the dish for the second straight game with two runs scored and four runs batted in to lead the high-powered Buc offense.
Jake Matise registered the win on the mound allowing two hits and zero earned runs in 2.2 innings of relief work.