GRINNELL, Iowa – What has already been an exciting Midwest Conference South Division season for the Grinnell College baseball team remains so after Saturday's split with Illinois College.
Grinnell cruised to a 12-0, seven-inning win in the opener at Pioneer Park with the aid of
Graham Fisher's '16 two-hitter. He struck out four as Grinnell stretched its division winning streak to seven games.
Illinois College responded with an 8-5 victory in the nightcap, leaving the teams deadlocked for the division lead at 9-5. The Pioneers are 16-17 overall, while the Blueboys moved to 17-17.
Grinnell pounded out 12 hits in the opener, including two each by
Ryan Penaflor '15, Fisher,
Matt Hammond '17,
Walker Bell '15 and
Yuki Kawahara '15. Fisher had two homers in the game, and Kawahara the first of his collegiate career. Penaflor, Hammond and
Michael Slattery '18 all had doubles.
The Pioneers bolted out to a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first on Fisher's three-run homer to left and Kawahara's two-run long ball to left.
Fisher added a two-run homer to left in the second to make it 7-0, and Slattery belted a run-scoring double down the left field line in the third for an 8-0 margin.
In the fifth, Kawahara had a two-run single to left-center. Hammond hit an RBI double to left-center in the sixth and Bell a run-scoring single to left-center.
In the second game,
Anthony Mack '16, Hammond and
Teague Towner '17 all had two hits. Mack had a triple among his totals and
Sam Galanek '18 a double.
The teams each scored in the first inning, with Grinnell's run coming on Hammond's single to center.
The Pioneers went ahead 2-1 in the third on Hammond's RBI single to center.
However, Illinois College erupted for five runs in the seventh for a 6-2 lead.
The Pioneers got back solo runs in the seventh and eighth as Towner had an RBI single up the middle in the seventh and an RBI single down the left-field line in the eighth.
Illinois College scored twice in the top of the ninth before Penaflor's RBI groundout in the bottom of the frame completed the scoring.
Sam Tinkham '16 was the pitcher of record for Grinnell.
The teams meet again Sunday in a Senior Day doubleheader, beginning at 10 a.m. at Pioneer Park. The contests will have major implications on the division title and hosting rights for next weekend's MWC Tournament.
