Baseball drops three straight

The Luther College baseball team was swept in three games by Central College April 16-17, opening with a 12-14 in a slugfest in Pella. The two teams combined for 30 hits, which included four home runs and 10 doubles.

In game one, Central did the majority of its damage in the third and seventh innings. In the third, Central scored five runs on four hits and took a 5-4 lead. Trailing Luther 9-6 after the Norse scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning, Central produced eight earned runs on five hits in the bottom half of the frame. The Norse scored twice in the eighth and once in the ninth en route to the final outcome.

First baseman Ben Schott (‘10) had another big afternoon. Schott was 3-for-5 and drove in four runs that included a two-run home run in the eighth. Schott’s home run was his fifth of the season and after today’s performance, his batting average jumped to a team-best .451. He also leads the squad with 27 RBI.

Lead-off hitter Jeff Riddle (‘10) also had a good afternoon. Riddle was 4-for-6, drove in two runs and scored twice. He also started the game with a solo home run, his second of the year.

Center fielder Chris Reynolds (‘12) was 2-for-4 and drove in two runs. Catcher Kevin Bradley (‘12) and left fielder Matt Bruhn (‘11) also went 2-for-4.

In games two and three, the Norse lost by scores of 1-5 and 5-12.

Zack Topping (‘10) drove in Luther’s lone run of game one in the first inning. The Dutch responded with two runs in both the second and fifth frames and added one more in the sixth. Schott produced two of Luther’s three hits in this game, going 2-for-3 at the plate.

Central scored eight runs on seven hits in the bottom of the first inning en route to the nightcap victory.

Bruhn and Mitch Obey (‘12) drove in four of Luther’s five runs. Both were credited with two RBI. Obey was 3-for-4 and Bruhn was 2-for-3. Schott also produced multiple hits, going 2-for-4.

The three losses drops Luther’s Iowa Conference record to 3-9, 14-13 overall. Central improves to 11-4 in league play, 22-8 overall.