JACKSONVILLE, Ill. - Grinnell College's baseball team nearly pulled off a twin bill sweep in its first action in more than a year, but Illinois College held off the Pioneers in both games for the wins.
In the opener, the host Blueboys shot out to a 6-0 lead before the Pioneers – who outhit Illinois College 13-10 - got back into it with a four-run outburst in the fifth inning.
Riley Guieb '21 led Grinnell with three hits, while
Jared Booth '21 and
Justin Williams '21 had two apiece. Grinnell's big fifth inning, which reduced Illinois College's lead to 6-4, was sparked by a bases-loaded walk by Guieb, two-run single to left by
Brock Weirather '21 and RBI single to center by Booth.
The Pioneers continued to slice into the lead in the sixth on Williams' run-scoring single to center. The Blueboys, playing their 17th and 18th games of the year, got a bit of breathing room in the bottom of the sixth while stretching their lead to 8-5.
The teams traded runs in the seventh, with Grinnell's coming from
Nate L'esperance's '23 RBI single to center to make it 9-6. Grinnell came within one in the eighth on
Quinton McNitt's '21 two-run single to center. However, the Pioneers' rally ended there as Illinois College escaped with the win.
Ryan Jungers '23, who worked four innings as Grinnell's starter, got tagged with the loss.
In the second game, the Pioneers struck for three runs in the first inning and built a 9-3 lead before the Blueboys rallied. Weirather had three hits for Grinnell and McNitt a pair.
Grinnell's first-inning runs came via a two-run single to center by
Luke Porter '23 and passed ball. After Illinois College tied it at 3-all, the Pioneers struck for five runs in the third on a wild pitch, two errors and run-scoring double to right by Booth. Grinnell added another run in the fourth on
Matthew Inaba's '22 RBI single to center.
However, Illinois College came back with a flurry of runs to go up 15-9 by the end of the eighth inning. In the top of the ninth, Booth had an RBI on a groundout and Weirather belted a run-scoring double to center to bring the Pioneers within four. However, Illinois College shut the door from there to get the win.
Ryan Jack '22 had the pitching loss for Grinnell.
The Pioneers play their first home game in nearly two years on Sunday when Monmouth College visits Pioneer Park. The first pitch of the twin bill is set for noon.
