BOX SCORE
TERRE HAUTE, IND. --
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology rallied from a 9-0 deficit with
nine runs in the third inning to outslug Manchester College 14-12
in the opener of a three-game Heartland Collegiate Athletic
Conference baseball series on Friday night.
Rose-Hulman outhit Manchester 18-17 in the contest and took advantage of six Spartan fielding errors to improve to 22-12 overall and 12-7 in league play.
Seniors Michael Kovacs (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) and Chris Stemple (Mount Vernon) led the Rose-Hulman offense with four hits each. Stemple became the third Fightin' Engineer to reach 200 career hits with a double, one run scored and one RBI. Kovacs scored three runs with one RBI on four singles.
Junior Derek Dauenbaugh (Bloomington, Ill./University) smashed three hits, including a double, with a game-high four RBIs to provide support.
Other Engineers with multiple hits included senior B.J. Zobrist (Eureka, Ill.) with two hits and three runs scored; and junior Will Burchett (Mokena, Ill./Providence Catholic) with two singles and two runs scored.
The offensive effort helped sophomore Ethan Post (Rockford, Mich.) earn his fourth pitching win of the year. Post tossed three innings in relief and held the Spartans to three runs to move to 4-2 overall. Freshman Hank Akard (Indianapolis/Ben Davis) tossed a scoreless ninth inning to earn his fourth save.
Manchester jumped out to a 6-0 lead with five runs in the second inning. Rose-Hulman scored twice in the second frame to move within 5-2. The Engineers parlayed eight hits and three Manchester errors in its third at bat. Kovacs singled and later came around to score on a throwing error to start the rally. Junior Jamie Weinle (Harrison, Ohio/Olney C.C.) contributed an RBI double, before Burchett drove home another run with a single.
Stemple, Zobrist and Kovacs kept the inning alive with consecutive singles, then Dauenbaugh added a two-run double. Sophomore Donald Stopka (Grayslake, Ill./Carmel Catholic) then contributed an RBI single to cap the scoring.
Rose-Hulman improved to 22-12 overall and 12-7 in league play, while Manchester dropped to 23-11 and 14-5 in conference games. The Engineers and Spartans meet in a doubleheader on Rose-Hulman's Senior Day on Saturday at noon.