Grinnell baseball team falls to Augustana, Central to open 2026 season

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Grinnell College's baseball team kicked off its 2026 campaign Sunday, falling to a pair of Iowa foes.

Augustana College took advantage of a 13-run fifth inning in the first game on its way to a 20-1 victory over the Pioneers. Later in the day, Central College used a seven-run seventh frame for a 16-6 win.

Grinnell managed five hits in the opener, with Nikolas Ruden '26 getting two of those. After the Vikings scored in the first, the Pioneers tied the game in the third when Connor Goodson's '26 single plated Stuart Cash '27.

Augustana went ahead to stay with two runs in the fourth, scored 13 in the fifth and tacked on four in the sixth.

Jakob Runkel '26, who worked the first 3.2 innings, was the pitcher of record while striking out five.

Grinnell led Central 6-5 through the first three innings, scoring twice in the second frame and four in the third. The Dutch went ahead to stay with three runs in the fourth, scored again in the sixth and added seven in the seventh for the win.

Cash had three of Grinnell's 10 hits, while Goodson and Ruden added two apiece. In the second inning, Ruden plated Joe Chanis '27 with the Pioneers' first homer of the 2026 campaign. In Grinnell's four-run third inning, Goodson blasted a three-run homer to score Jacob Gaynor '28 and Cash. Ruden added an RBI double later in the frame to score Chanis.

Daniel Shaul '26, the second of five Pioneer pitchers, was tagged with the pitching loss.

Grinnell travels to Fulton, Mo., next weekend for four games. The Pioneers play Carthage College in a twin bill next Saturday and Westminster College the following day.

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Players Mentioned

#3 Stuart Cash: IF; 6' 2"; Junior; R/R

#7 Joe Chanis: IF; 5' 10"; Junior; R/R

#24 Jacob Gaynor: OF; 5' 9"; Sophomore; L/L

#35 Connor Goodson: IF/P; 6' 4"; Senior; R/R

#4 Nikolas Ruden: IF; 6' 0"; Senior; R/R

#39 Jakob Runkel: P; 5' 11"; Senior; L/L

#23 Daniel Shaul: P; 6' 0"; Senior; R/L

Players Mentioned

#3 Stuart Cash
: 6' 2"; Junior; R/R
: IF

#7 Joe Chanis
: 5' 10"; Junior; R/R
: IF

#24 Jacob Gaynor
: 5' 9"; Sophomore; L/L
: OF

#35 Connor Goodson
: 6' 4"; Senior; R/R
: IF/P

#4 Nikolas Ruden
: 6' 0"; Senior; R/R
: IF

#39 Jakob Runkel
: 5' 11"; Senior; L/L
: P

#23 Daniel Shaul
: 6' 0"; Senior; R/L
: P