WICHITA, Kan. — Getting into the stretch run of the regular season, the Newman baseball team picked up a key sweep of a doubleheader, capped by a walk-off win in 12 innings in the nightcap, against Texas A&M International Thursday.
GAME 1
Key Sequence
The Jets (16-24, 8-10 Heartland) loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth while holding onto a tight one-run lead against the Dustdevils (12-27, 4-14 Heartland), and a number of miscues from the mound allowed the hosts to add to the lead. Two straight balks allowed Turner Lace and Ked Bailey to score, while Channing Williams scampered home on a wild pitch. The expanded the lead, as the Jets held on for a 5-3 victory.
How It Happened
-A walk and two singles loaded the bases to start the bottom of the first, and Jake Hanson punched a single through the right side to get Newman on the board first. After Zack Erdman got out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the second, the Jets added to their lead with two singles and an RBI groundout from Williams.
-A two-out rally in the fifth got the Dustdevils their first run, coming in between inning-ending double plays against Newman in the fourth and fifth. A walk from Lace, followed by Bailey getting hit by a pitch and Williams beating out an infield single, loaded the bases for the Jet rally in the sixth, and Erdman worked through a two-run double in the top of the seventh to preserve the win.
GAME 2
Key Sequence
Trailing heading into the bottom of the 10th, Tyler Push walked to lead off and moved up to second on Easton Herring's sacrifice bunt. When Lace smacked a 3-2 pitch to center, Push chugged around third and slipped under the tag on a high throw to home to tie things back up and allow the Jets to eventually win one of the longest games in program history, 7-6 in 12 innings.
How It Happened
-A Brian Canfield single chased home Ked Bailey in the first, and Lace doubled in Push in the second to stake Newman to a 2-0 lead early. Four hits by the Dustdevils in the top of the third drew them even before Collin Loutensock settled into a rhythm.
-With the bases loaded and one out in the sixth, Push sent a ball to the right field corner that ended up as a bases-clearing triple to make it 5-2. A sac fly in the top of the seventh and a two-run error in the eighth allowed TAMIU to tie it once again, and despite three walks to load the bases in the bottom of the ninth, Newman couldn't push across the winning run, sending it to extras.
-A single, two walks and a wild pitch with two outs gave the Dustdevils their first lead of the day in the top of the 10th. After Push tied it in the bottom half, TAMIU centerfielder Adrian Castillo got another chance, and cut down Bailey at the plate with what would have been the winning run.
-Avery Chenier took the mound in the top of the 11th, and a one-out error was the only runner to reach in his two innings of work. After a 1-2-3 inning in the 12th, Newman followed with Lace picking up a two-out walk. Bailey followed with a single and Williams reached on an error to load the bases, and Canfield beat out a hard chopper back up the middle for an infield single and the game-winning RBI.
NOTES
-Newman's win the second game of the day was the longest game by time in the Division II history of the program and 4 hours, 3 minutes. Coming in at 12 innings, it is tied for the second-longest game by innings in the four-plus-decade history of Newman baseball.
-Canfield went 4-for-7 with four walks on the day, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. The senior has multiple hits in five of his past six games, and has scored a run in five straight.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Jets and Dustdevils return to McCarthy Field for two more games Friday to close out their Heartland Conference series.
