Baseball Earns First Series Win

Kansas Christian College Falcons Baseball opened up their home schedule with a double header against Hannibal-Lagrange University on Friday. The teams then completed the three game series with a single nine inning game on Saturday. The Falcons took game one of the series 4-1 before falling in game two 3-2. Kansas Christian would win the rubber match on Saturday by a final score of 5-3. 

Tommy Thomas carried the Falcons to their first win of the season with a complete game on the mound in game one. Thomas allowed just one run on eight hits while striking out two and walking two batters. The senior improved his record to 1-1 on the season earning the win. Offensively the Falcons got four runs on seven hits and stole five bases. Denzel Rincon hit two doubles, walked and had an RBI to pace the offense. Jake Galloway and Dorian Arraiz each had a hit and an RBI as well. Nate Boen scored two runs.

The Falcons were strong on the mound again in game two, but only were able to come up with a couple runs in the loss. The Falcons scored two runs on two hits. Despite that, Dorian Arraiz sent an RBI single in to left, and the Falcons had the tying run on second with the winning run on first base in the final inning before a pop up ended the game. Jesus Roman tossed four innings allowing two runs on two hits with a walk and strikeout. Corbin Sprague threw three innings in relief allowing four hits and one run. Sprague struck out four, walking nobody, but hitting one batter with a pitch. 

Saturday's rubber match proved to be another competitive game between the two teams. Denver Smith took the mound for his first collegiate start and turned in a solid performance for the Falcons. Smith went five innings allowing three runs, one earned, on four hits with four strikeouts and three walks. Smith also hit two batters with pitches. Despite the traffic Smith was able to wiggle out of trouble and left the game with the lead as he eventually earned the win.

Escaping trouble became a theme for the Falcons in the late innings. Nate Boen pitched two innings in relief allowing two hits, walking two, hitting one batter, and striking out two. Peyton Roper earned the save with two innings of scoreless relief. In the seventh innings, Boen fielded a ground ball and started what would be a 1-3-2 inning ending double play on the back of a base running mistake by the Trojans. In the eighth inning, Roper fielded a comebacker to start a 1-2-3 double play to escape a bases loaded jam in the eighth. 

The Falcons managed four hits on five runs offensively. Two runs in the first , another on in the second and two more in the fourth would be all the Falcons got. They were out hit by Hannibal-Lagrange 9-4. The Falcons, however, managed to score four runs on just two swings in the win. Connor Taylors two out RBI single in the first and Jake Galloway's massive, two out two-run home run in the fourth. Dorian Arraiz and Galloway both scored two runs and Drew Lippold scored the other. The Falcons drew eight walks in the game and left 10 runners on base. 

This week, the Falcons head to Springfield, Mo. on Tuesday for a nine inning game at Mission University. This weekend, the baseball team will head to Hot Springs, Ark. to begin Central Southwest Conference play at Champion Christian on Friday and Saturday.