MYRTLE BEACH, SC – The Norse Baseball Team (2-4) ended up dropping a pair of games to the Olney Central College Blue Knights (6-0) on Monday afternoon. The first game ended with a score of 13-6, the second game saw the Norse fall 24-2.
The Norse took the lead in the top of the second of game one by loading the bases. Ian Schwalbach (FR, Gladstone, MI) lifted a sacrifice fly to right to plate a run. Jared Crow (SO, Gladstone, MI) and Hector Araguayan (FR, Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela) scored on wild pitches, giving the Norse a 3-0 lead.
The lead was short-lived however. After two quick outs, the Blue Knights offense came to life. They collected six consecutive hits before the Norse could close out the inning. Two-run homeruns by Peyton Meredith (SO, Newburgh, IN) and Nick Rucker (SO, Louisville, KY) highlighted a six run outburst.
Olney Central added to their lead in the fourth with a solo homerun from Reed Blaszczyk (FR, Louisville, KY).
The Norse answered back in the following half inning. David Ibn Ezra (SO, Tel Aviv, Israel) led off with a double and scored on a ground ball from Grant Craft (FR, Canberra, Australia).
The Blue Knights got three more in a rain delayed fifth inning, and then Eric Martin (FR, Ontario, Canada) opened the game up in the sixth, sending a fly ball over the wall in right for a three-run homerun.
The Norse scored a pair in the seventh when Jose Pichardo (FR, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) doubled off the wall in right with two outs. The Norse could not muster any more runs, falling by seven runs.
Hunter Callahan (FR, Cisne, IL) got the win on the mound, working three and a third in relief and giving up just three hits and one earned run. He struck out one and walked one.
Carson Shea (SO, Gladstone, MI) took the loss on the mound.
Sammy Rowan (SO, Richland, IN) led the Blue Knights with three hits in four at bats.
Ibn Ezra, Tanner Halvorson (SO, Eau Claire, WI), and Pichardo each collected two hits.
Olney Central took control of game two from the start, and the Norse pitching and defensive efforts were not up to par. Bay walked five batters, hit two more batters, and committed two errors to go with four Blue Knight hits. The end result was a ten run first inning that put the game out of reach.
Olney Central extended their lead in the second. Charlie Allison (FR, Rock Island, IL) hit a three-run homerun in the third to make the score 14-1.
Things got out of hand in the fourth as errors piled up and the Blue Knights tallied a nine run inning.
Blake Donnan (FR, Taylorville, IL) got the win for Olney Central giving up one earned run on two hits in four innings of work.
Dalton Graham (FR, Sault Ste. Marie, MI) took the loss.
"Today definitely got out of hand in the second game," said Head Coach Mike Pankow. "It's a product of the trip we are on and playing a lot of games in a short period of time. At some point when things go wrong, we have to have a guy that goes to the mound and 'takes one for the team' to save our pitching staff for the rest of the week. Today that was Sam Schneider who did a fantastic job of coming in and being patient while his defense did not back him up late in the game."
Schneider (SO, Cheboygan, MI) threw two innings and gave up five hits. His stat line shows him giving up ten runs, but only one earned. He also struck out one and walked one.
"The competition this week has been great," continued Pankow. "We had a really good team in Cleveland Community College on the ropes and just couldn't close that one out, and played well against Camp Community College as well. Even the early game today was a good fight with a really good NJCAA Division 1 team. Our team is on the verge of securing some real quality wins, we need to be able to put a full game together, and overcome some 'freshman jitters', and we have the potential to be a really strong team."
The Norse continue their stay in Myrtle Beach. They faceoff with the same Olney Central team at 11 am tomorrow. They follow that up with a game against USC Lancaster at 4:30 pm.