SAINT PETER, Minn. - The Beloit College baseball team showcased a potent offense early, jumping out to a significant lead, but ultimately couldn't hold off a relentless Chicago squad, falling 17-7 this morning, at Gustie Baseball Field. Despite the loss, Beloit pounded out an impressive 17 hits.
Beloit (30-17) wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. In the top of the first, Seth Brankey (Salem, Wis.) led off with a single and promptly advanced to third on a double by Jack Alport (Arlington Heights, Ill.). Connor Vogel (Palmdale, Calif.) brought Brankey home with a sacrifice fly. Miles Souza (Carpinteria, Calif.) then singled to score Alport, and after Nolan Tomsyck (Muskego, Wis) singled, Aiden Wood (Chandler, Ariz.) capped the rally with an RBI double, plating Souza for a quick 3-0 advantage.
Chicago answered with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the first to tie the game.
Undeterred, Beloit's bats came alive again in the top of the second. Riley Ponio (Morris, Ill.) drew a walk, and Brankey followed with another walk. Vogel then delivered an RBI single to score Ponio. Elijah Love (Madison, Wis.) struck out, but Souza came through again with an RBI single, bringing Brankey across. Tomsyck continued the hit parade with an RBI single of his own, scoring Vogel and extending Beloit's lead to 6-3.
Beloit's starting pitcher, Ben Schweit (Simi Valley, CA.), managed to keep Chicago off the board for the next three innings. However, the game took a dramatic turn in the bottom of the fifth. Chicago erupted for eight runs, chasing Schweit from the game after 4.1 innings where he was charged with 10 earned runs on 11 hits.
Chicago continued to add to their lead, scoring one in the sixth and two in the seventh off reliever Harvey Pena (Riverside, Calif.). Aiden Phipps (Simi Valley, Calif.) took over in the seventh and surrendered three more runs in the eighth.
Beloit managed to scratch across one more run in the top of the eighth. Tomsyck reached on an error and advanced to second. Blake Nelson then drove him in with an RBI double, making the score 14-7 at the time.
Offensively, Beloit had several strong performances. Souza led the charge, going 3-for-4 with a walk, a run scored, and two RBIs. Tomsyck also collected three hits in five at-bats, driving in one and scoring once. Brankey (2-for-4, 2 runs, BB), Alport (2-for-6, 1 run, 2B), Wood (2-for-5, 1 RBI, 2B), and Blake Nelson (Monument, CO.) (2-for-5, 1 RBI, 2B) all had multi-hit games. Vogel contributed a hit, a run, and two RBIs, including a sacrifice fly, while Ponio had a hit, a run, a walk, and a double.
