Pensacola, Fla.- The Warriors spent Spring Break in Pensacola soaking up some sun... and winning ballgames. They took three of four games in the Studer's Pensacola Blue Wahoos Challenge with one win coming against a top-ten ranked University of Wisconsin Whitewater team.
Game 1: The Warriors were welcomed to Pensacola by a very talented UW-Whitewater team. Whitewater struck early against the Warriors, touching up starter, Aiden Leggett for four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Leggett settled in and threw two subsequent shutout innings before being relieved by Tucker Isbell who surrendered three runs in one-third inning pitched. Nathan Silva followed up Isbell and got out of the jam. Chance Reed made his debut, throwing three innings allowing three runs on three hits. Jackson Corrigan threw a scoreless inning for the Warriors to close it out.
At the plate, the Warriors notched five runs on eleven hits and seven walks. Zach Marriott, Drake Job, and Austin Rabago each collected multiple hits. One of Rabago's hits was a three-bagger. Adam Bland hit his team-leading eleventh double of the season. Drake Job drove in two Warrior runs with a two-RBI single in the third inning. Despite some solid performances at the plate, the Warriors came up short and dropped game one by a score of 10-5.
Game 2: Miles Schluterman made the start for the Warriors and earned the win against University of Wisconsin-Platteville, giving the team five and two-thirds innings of shutout ball, scattering four hits and four walks. Teddy Olander, Ethan Thomas, and Kyle Possoit followed up Schluterman with very solid performances out of the bullpen. The Warriors only allowed a single run.
The Warriors scored eight runs on six hits while drawing six walks. They did a solid job of capitalizing on opportunities with runners in scoring position and taking advantage of some costly Platteville defensive miscues. Drake Job and David Ripple each had two RBIs. Owen Shaw and Austin Rabago had stellar days at the plate, each hitting a double and driving in a run while subsequently scoring. The Warriors were good for an 8-1 win against UW-Platteville.
Game 3: The Warriors matched up against Grinnell for the first time since 2019 and beat them handily. Cade McWilliams started on the mound and gave the Warriors five fantastic innings, allowing a meager three hits and three walks while punching out eight Grinnell hitters.
The Warrior bats were hot in game 3, scoring nine runs on nine hits and six walks. Owen Shaw and Zach Marriott accounted for five of the Warrior hits and three RBIs. Owen Shaw homered in the sixth inning, sending a ball over the right field wall and into international waters. This baseball washed ashore in Cuba yesterday. Adam Bland stole a whopping four bases, taking his season total to twelve stolen bases. Greyson Devine notched the first hit of his college career, driving in Shaun Pope in the ninth inning. The Warriors toppled Grinnell 9-3.
Game 4: The team capped off the week with a huge win against UW-Whitewater in game 4. David Blackburn toed the rubber and did not disappoint. Blackburn dealt for five and two-thirds innings, only allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits. Blackburn was relieved by John Henry Fowler in the sixth, who threw three and one-third innings, surrendering one earned run. Blackburn earned the win.
Offensively, this was a very tight game, but the Warriors outhit Whitewater eleven to seven and ultimately prevailed. Zach Marriott, Adam Bland, and Drake Job had two hits each. Marriott and Bland both scored twice (going two-for-four and two-for-three respectively). Bland also added another double to his tally, hitting his twelfth double of the season. David Ripple was one-for-four his one hit coming in the form of a triple. Ripple was driven in twice as well. The Warriors scored two crucial insurance runs in the ninth inning. Hendrix handily defeated a very talented Whitewater squad by a score of 7-4. The Warriors will be back in action on Tuesday in Clarksville, Arkansas as they take on I-40 rivals University of the Ozarks.
