FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech baseball team opened up its home slate for the 2022 season Tuesday evening with a doubleheader against conference rival Concordia University, falling 6-5 in game one before taking the nightcap 5-3.
Hayes Sturtsman went 5.1 innings in game one, striking out a season-high nine batters while allowing just four hits through 116 pitches.
Tyler Stahl and
Ashtin Moxey both had two hits and drove in one run each.
As both starters cruised through the first three frames it looked like a pitchers duel would be on tap for the home opener between the top two teams in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) a year ago. Concordia struck first with an unearned run in the fourth as a leadoff error came around to score following a sacrifice bunt, an infield single and a wild pitch. The Warriors bats came to life in the fourth through as
Brice Stultz led things off with a double that was followed by a bunt single by
Jacob Daftari to put runners at the corners. Moxey drove in Stultz two batters later with an RBI single while Stahl drove in a runner two batters later on an infield hit. Tyson Kleinflet worked out of the bases loaded jam with back-to-back strikeouts and while a walk to Stultz pushed the fifth Tech run in, that was all the hosts would get.
A leadoff homer from Calvin Syrjala in the sixth made it a 5-2 game, and by the time the inning was over the Cardinals had retaken the lead at 6-2 with just two hits recorded as they took advantage of three walks, a wild pitch and a passed ball. The Warriors would only manage one baserunner over their last two innings against a pair of Cardinal relievers.
Game two belonged to
Jared Maxfield as the graduate student struck out a career-high 11 batters over seven innings of work, scattering four hits and allowing just two runs in 113 pitches while
Marty McDonald worked the final two innings to pick up the save, striking out three while allowing just two hits and one run.
Concordia struck first again with an RBI single by Justin Kozlowski, but a one-out bases clearing double from
Manuel Ascanio made it a 3-1 game as the senior catcher drilled one to left center following a pair of walks and a bunt single. The Cardinals cut the deficit to 3-2 in the fifth following a sacrifice fly, but they would only have three more baserunners in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings.
Moxey delivered a big insurance swing with a two-run bomb to left field to make it a 5-2 game and McDonald worked around a one-out double, an error and a walk to close the door on the Cardinals to salvage the split.
Tech (13-12, 3-1 WHAC) returns to action Saturday as they start a weekend trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan by taking on Cornerstone University. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. from DeWitt Field.
