Chargers Stay Unbeaten in Arrowhead, Extend Win Streak to 8
Aaron Frey
Tuesday, April 10, 2018 8:38 PM
Athletics
Galesburg, IL
The Carl Sandburg College baseball team stayed unbeaten in Arrowhead Conference play by sweeping Sauk Valley 9-5 and 7-1 on Tuesday at the William “Bill” Hungate Baseball/Softball Complex, completing a four-game series sweep of the Skyhawks.
The Chargers (15-6, 8-0) are alone atop the league standings and have won eight in a row overall.
GAME 1
Sandburg 9, Sauk Valley 5 (6 innings)
Sauk Valley 110 003 — 5 9 2
Sandburg 120 204 — 9 12 0
W: Nolan Struhs (4-0), 6 IP, 3 K, 1 BB
Key Moments
- Sauk Valley tied the game at 5 with a three-run sixth, but the Chargers bounced back with four in their half of the inning. Tyler Womack (Moline, Ill./Moline) led off the frame with a home run. Greyson Durbin (Colona, Ill./United Township) added an RBI hit, and Braedon Blackford (Peoria, Ill./Notre Dame) capped the rally with a two-run single.
- The game was called in the bottom of the sixth after a Sauk Valley player had to leave the game because of an injury and the Skyhawks had no substitutes remaining on the bench.
Sandburg Star of the Game
Sophomore left fielder Blake Russell (Joy, Ill./Mercer County) went 3 for 3 and came around to score each time. Russell had a double in the fourth sandwiched around base hits in the second and sixth.
Top Chargers Hitters
- Russell 3 for 3, double, three runs
- Durbin 2 for 3, run, RBI
- Austin Traub (Coal Valley, Ill./Moline) 2 for 3, two runs, RBI
- Blackford 1 for 4, two RBIs
- Womack, Antonio Dominguez (Rock Island, Ill./United Township) and Cacey O’Brien (Moline, Ill./Moline) solo home run each
GAME 2
Sandburg 7, Sauk Valley 1
Sauk Valley 100 000 0 — 1 5 1
Sandburg 301 201 x — 7 11 0
W: Jack Gray (4-1), 7 IP, 12 K, 1 BB
Key Moment
Leading 4-1 in the fourth, sophomore right fielder Shane Coleman (Abingdon, Ill./Abingdon-Avon) gave the Chargers some more breathing room with a no-doubt two-run homer to right.
Sandburg Star of the Game
Sophomore starting pitcher Jack Gray (Burlington, Iowa/Notre Dame) scattered five hits and punched out a career-best 12 in a complete-game victory. Sauk Valley scratched across a run against the southpaw in the first inning, but Gray was dominant the rest of the way. The bottom four hitters in the Skyhawks order were 0 for 10 with nine strikeouts against Gray.
Top Chargers Hitters
- Coleman 3 for 4, double, two-run home run, two runs, three RBIs
- O’Brien 2 for 3, double, solo home run, three runs
- Womack 2 for 4, double, run, two RBIs
Up Next
The Chargers host Kishwaukee at noon Saturday in another Arrowhead doubleheader.
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