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Justin Hayworth/Grinnell College
6
Monmouth (Ill.) MONMOUTH 16-22
16
Winner Grinnell GRINNELL 23-16
Monmouth (Ill.) MONMOUTH
16-22
6
Final
16
Grinnell GRINNELL
23-16
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Monmouth (Ill.) MONMOUTH 2 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 6 9 4
Grinnell GRINNELL 0 4 9 0 0 1 0 2 16 14 3

W: Shaul, Daniel (6-2) L: Roy Ralston (2-6)

8
Illinois Col. ILLINOIS 25-17
9
Winner Grinnell GRINNELL 24-16
Illinois Col. ILLINOIS
25-17
8
Final
9
Grinnell GRINNELL
24-16
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Illinois Col. ILLINOIS 0 0 1 3 1 1 0 0 2 0 8 9 0
Grinnell GRINNELL 0 1 0 4 2 0 0 1 0 1 9 13 2

W: Goel, Shea (4-1) L: Connor Akstulewicz (3-3)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Ted Schultz

Grinnell baseball team closes in on historical MWC Tournament title

Pioneers are just 1 victory away from sewing up league tourney crown

GRINNELL, Iowa - A week ago, Grinnell College's baseball team made history by winning its first-ever Midwest Conference regular-season title.

And after two victories Friday, the Pioneers are poised to make history again as they close in on the Midwest Conference Tournament crown and accompanying NCAA Division III Tournament berth.

Grinnell took advantage of the home field and a picture-perfect sunny day at Pioneer Park, first blowing past Monmouth College 16-6 in eight innings and then winning yet another nail-biter over Illinois College by a 9-8 margin in 10 innings.

The Pioneers need just one victory Saturday to claim the tournament crown.

The victory over Monmouth marked Grinnell's first-ever opening-round victory in the MWC Tournament in 16 tries. The Pioneers dug themselves a 2-0 hole right off the bat, but rattled off 13 runs in a row and cruised to the mercy-rule victory.

Shea Goel '28 started on the mound for Grinnell and fanned six through four innings before yielding to Daniel Shaul '26, who was masterful over the final four innings with one-hit ball and two strikeouts en route to boosting his record to 6-2.

Grinnell's offensive attack was balanced, with all nine batters getting a hit in the 14-hit onslaught. Connor Pink '29 had three of those hits, while Wyatt Raymond '28, Mitch Baek '29 and Maddux Anderson '29 added two apiece.

The Pioneers took a 4-2 lead in the second inning with bases-loaded walks by Jacob Gaynor '28, Pink and Nikolas Ruden '26 and Joe Chanis '27 getting hit by a pitch.

In the third, Grinnell erupted for nine runs with the aid of Baek's two-run double, RBI doubles by Chanis and Ruden and sacrifice fly by Connor Goodson '26.

After Monmouth closed the gap to 13-6, Anderson scored a run in the sixth, Stuart Cash '27 blasted a solo homer in the eighth and Pink plated a run with a single through the left side to end the game.

Grinnell followed with a 13-hit attack in the second game with Illinois College, with three by Ruden and Cash and two apiece from Chanis, Goodson and Gaynor. 

It was a pitcher by committee situation for Grinnell, with seven players taking the hill. Of those, David Haas '29 stood out with two innings of hitless ball with two strikeouts and Adam Gallegos '28 throwing one inning without issuing a hit. Goel, the Game 1 starter, was a workhorse as he came on in the 10th inning and didn't issue a hit in earning the victory.

Cash had a solo homer to left in the second before the Blueboys put up four consecutive runs. The Pioneers clawed their way back, with Anderson's sacrifice fly and Pink's three-run triple in the fourth making it a 5-4 lead for the hosts.

After Illinois College tied it in the top of the fifth, Goodson swatted a two-run homer to left in the bottom of the frame to make it 7-5. Grinnell later went up 8-6 on Gaynor's solo homer to center, but the Blueboys scratched out two runs in the top of the ninth to make it 8-all.

It remained that way until the bottom of the 10th when Gaynor singled to left with one out, Pink walked and Chanis was hit by a pitch. After a fielder's choice for the second out, Goodson drew a walk on four consecutive balls to sew up the victory.

Action Saturday begins with the resumption of a suspended game between Beloit College and Illinois College, starting at 9 a.m. That winner will face Illinois College, and the victor there will battle the 24-16 Pioneers for the title.
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