GRINNELL, Iowa – Grinnell College's baseball teams continued its winning ways in the Midwest Conference South Division – and against Knox College – with a twin bill sweep Thursday.
The Pioneers broke a 2-all tie with three runs in the eighth inning to win the opener 5-2, and then scored two runs in the 10th inning to secure the sweep with an 8-6 victory.
The Pioneers, who have won 14 games in a row against the Prairie Fire dating back to 2014, are 8-2 in the MWC South and 14-9 overall. Knox fell to 2-4 in the league and 8-9 in all games.
Niko Takayesu '17 had three hits in each game and a walk, and is now tied for the Grinnell career lead in walks with 79.
Matt Hammond '17 moved into third place for most RBIs in a season at Grinnell with 42. Takayesu has drawn 25 walks this year, sixth-most on the Pioneers' all-time chart, and
Andrew Shults' '19 seven sacrifices rank sixth.
Grinnell scored a run in the first inning of the opener on Hammond's RBI groundout, but the hosts went ahead with two runs in the fourth. Grinnell evened things in the sixth on Hammond's sacrifice fly to center.
It remained 2-all until the eighth when
Brad Weaver '18 belted a three-run triple.
Sam LaMotte '20 was the winning pitcher, working eight innings and striking out one.
Ben Binversie '17 picked up the save, striking out two in the final frame.
Grinnell went up 2-0 in the second game with a two-run third frame.
Sam Galanek '18 had an RBI double and Weaver a run-scoring single.
Knox cut the lead in half in the fourth, but the Pioneers tacked on three runs in the sixth as
Benjamin Wong '18 had an RBI fielder's choice and Galanek plated two more runners on an error.
Knox made it 5-2 in the bottom of the inning before the Pioneers scored again in the eighth on Takayesu's solo homer.
The Prairie Fire rallied, though, scoring three runs in the eighth and another in the ninth to force another inning.
In the 10th, Wong reached on an error, moved to second on Takayesu's sacrifice, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Shults' RBI single. Shults stole second and scored on Hammond's single.
Binversie was the winning pitcher, tossing the final three innings and striking out four to improve to 4-0.
The teams meet again in Grinnell for a doubleheader Saturday. Action at Pioneer Park begins at noon.
