SLCC Baseball Splits Pair of Conference Road Games with Southern Idaho

CSI uses four run rally in sixth to top Bruins in game one, SLCC's four run rally in seventh seals game two

Game 1 – Noon

Game 2 – 2:00 p.m.

Twin Falls, ID—The SLCC baseball team (21-9, 13-3 SWAC) split a pair of away games with Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC) opponent College of Southern Idaho (CSI) (17-18, 6-7 SWAC) on Saturday.

The Bruins fell to the Golden Eagles by a final score of 6-3 in game one and defeated CSI 7-1 in the day's second contest. SLCC won three of its four match-ups with Southern Idaho this weekend.

Game 1 Recap: SLCC opened the scoring in game one after sophomore infielder Robert Grilli (Mississauga, ONT) and sophomore outfielder Nick Urban (Las Vegas, NV) each reached base with walks to start the frame.

Freshman outfielder Caleb Summerhays (Las Vegas, NV) brought Grilli in with a single and another single from the bat of sophomore outfielder Derrick Whitney (South Jordan, UT) scored Urban to give Salt Lake a 2-0 lead.

The Golden Eagles answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game, and neither side would score again until Summerhays crossed home plate on a single by sophomore outfielder Zach Watts (West Jordan, UT) in the sixth inning to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead.

CSI responded with four runs of its own in the bottom of the sixth inning to reclaim the lead at 6-3. Freshman utility player Garrett Bushman (Farmington, UT) hit a double to lead off the seventh inning for SLCC and would advance to third on a ground ball. He did not score as the Golden Eagles held on the for the 6-3 win to end a 10-game win streak for the Bruins.

CSI recorded eight base hits to five for SLCC, with the Bruins committing three fielding errors to one for the Golden Eagles.

Game 1 Stats vs. CSI: Summerhays was 1-for-3 at the plate with a run scored and one run batted in (RBI). Whitney was 1-for-2 with one RBI and Watts was 1-for-3 with one RBI. Bushman was 1-for-3 with a double in the losing effort.

Sophomore pitcher Brady Corless (Spanish Fork, UT) got the start with six strikeouts, one walk, four hits and two unearned runs allowed in four complete innings on the mound. Freshman pitcher Jared White (Riverton, UT) took the loss with three strikeouts, three walks, four hits and four runs, all earned, allowed in one and two thirds innings of work.

Sophomore pitcher Nick Denny (Anoka, MN) struck out one CSI batter to record the final out of the sixth inning for SLCC.

Game 2 Recap: The Bruins struck first in game two with Robert Grilli earning a leadoff walk and advancing to second base on a ground ball. He then stole third base and scored on a sacrifice fly from Caleb Summerhays to give Salt Lake a 1-0 lead after one half inning of play.

SLCC loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the second inning and freshman catcher Tyler Hamilton (Lindon, UT) scored from third base on a wild pitch. The Golden Eagles recorded the final out of the frame but not before SLCC would claim a 2-0 lead.

The Bruins extended the lead to 3-0 on a solo home run from Garrett Bushman in the top of the fifth inning. Southern Idaho narrowed the gap to 3-1 with its first run of the ballgame in the bottom of the fifth.

Sophomore infielder Kade Teter (Pocatello, ID) led off the seventh inning with a walk and advanced to third on a double by Bushman. Grilli then hit a double to clear the bases and score Teter and Bushman to make the score 5-1 in favor of the Bruins.

Grilli was brought in by sophomore catcher Colton Barkdull (Erda, UT) on an RBI double and Barkdull crossed home plate on a single from Nick Urban, all before CSI recorded the first out of the seventh inning. The Bruins retired the side in the bottom of the seventh to secure the road victory.

The Golden Eagles finished game two with nine base hits to eight for SLCC, with the Bruins committing two fielding errors to one for Southern Idaho.

Game 2 Stats vs. CSI: Freshman pitcher Chris Bradford (Las Vegas, NV) picked up the win with eight strikeouts and no walks issued. He allowed six hits and one earned run in four and one third innings of work.

Sophomore pitcher Jarren Adam (Murray, UT) struck out one CSI batter with one hit allowed in one inning on the mound. Sophomore pitcher Eric Carter (Santa Clara, UT) yielded two base hits in one inning pitched.

Bushman was 2-for-3 and nearly hit for the cycle with a single, a double and a home run to go with two runs scored. Grilli was 1-for-2 with a double, a stolen base, two RBI and a pair of runs scored and Urban went 1-for-3 with a walk and one RBI. Hamilton was 1-for-2 with a run scored.

Next up for Head Coach DG Nelson and the Bruins is a trip to Price, UT for a doubleheader with USU-Eastern (11-12) on Thursday, Mar. 27 with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. The day's second game will begin 30 minutes following the conclusion of the first contest.

-SL-