AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Beloit College Buccaneers baseball team faced a challenging day on the diamond today, dropping both ends of a doubleheader against Simpson College. Despite the difficult final scores, the Buccaneers saw flashes of strong individual performances and veteran leadership during their Spring Break road trip.
Game One: Simpson 4, Beloit 0
In the opening contest, the Buccaneers struggled to find a rhythm against Simpson's Charlie Thomas, who kept the Beloit bats quiet through five innings.
Erick Tiegs (Waukesha, Wis.) took the mound for Beloit, battling through three innings of work. While he suffered the loss, Tiegs showed grit, striking out three batters. The bullpen provided a significant bright spot later in the game; Ryan Apel (Mequon, Wis.) was perfect in relief, tossing two scoreless innings without allowing a single hit or walk to keep the Buccaneers within striking distance.
Offensively, Beloit managed five hits. Jack Alport (Arlington Heights, Ill.), Jacopo "JT" Tamburini (Bologna, Italy), Seth Brankey (Salem, Wis.), Blake Nelson (Monument, CO.), and Drew Hanson (Edgerton, Wis.) each recorded singles. The Buccaneers' best chance to break the shutout came in the top of the 6th inning when Tamburini and Nelson both singled to put runners on the corners, but the rally was ultimately cut short by Simpson's bullpen.
Game Two: Simpson 10, Beloit 1
The second game proved to be another uphill battle for the Buccaneers as Simpson jumped out to an early lead. However, Beloit refused to go down without a fight, manufacturing a run in the second inning to highlight their offensive persistence.
The Buccaneers' lone run of the day was a clinic in situational hitting. Shortstop Nolan Tomsyck (Muskego, Wis) sparked the offense in the bottom of the 2nd with a booming double to left-center field. After advancing to third, Tomsyck was driven home by Jordan Rosenberg (Leawood, KS), who lifted a deep sacrifice fly to left field.
The Buccaneers wrap up their spring break trip tomorrow morning against Benedictine Univeristy. First pitch from Northeast Regional Park is set for 10:00 AM ET / 9AM CT.