From University of Chicago Athletics
In the final home games of the season, the University of Chicago baseball team pounced on Illinois Institute of Technology with 26 runs on 30 hits to sweep Saturday's doubleheader.
With a 21-11 mark, the Maroons possess their best record since going 24-14 in the 2013 season. The Scarlet Hawks fell to 11-28.
Saturday was also UChicago's Senior Day. The four-member senior class includes shortstop Ryan Krob, first baseman/pitcher Thomas Prescott, third baseman Tim Sonnefeldt and outfielder Nicholas Toomey. The group was honored on the field with their parents between games of the doubleheader. Over the past four years, the Maroons have totaled 67 wins.
Game One – UChicago 12, Illinois Tech 4
The home team put numbers on the scoreboard in each of the opening four innings. With a runner on third base, junior outfielder Maximiliano Larsen stroked a RBI double down the third base line in his first at-bat. Three batters later, Larsen and Prescott executed a perfect delayed double steal that saw Larsen swipe home plate.
Sophomore outfielder Josh Parks led off the bottom of the second with a triple to right center. He scored on a RBI groundout from Krob. Then in the third, Larsen laced another double to left and was immediately followed by sophomore catcher Ian Bohn's double to right field. Prescott then delivered his second homer of the weekend with a two-run blast to right field.
Two errors in the top of the fourth helped IIT get back into the game with a trio of scores to cut the deficit to 6-4. But the Maroons took the drama out of the result in the bottom of the frame with six runs. A wild pitch brought in one and freshman second baseman Payton Jancsy brought in another with a single through the left side. RBI singles from Larsen and Prescott followed. Then with the bases loaded, sophomore shortstop Justin Lo banged a two-run double to the outfield.
With a 12-4 lead in hand, freshman pitcher Jacob Petersen finished off the seven-inning contest for his second complete game of the season. Four errors led to all four runs being unearned. Petersen struck out seven batters while allowing six hits and one walk. The right-hander improved to 5-0.
Offensively, UChicago racked up 14 hits and stole six bases. Prescott was a perfect 3-for-3 with a homer and three RBI. Larsen was an efficient 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and two steals. Lo hit 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles and two RBI. Bohn went 2-for-4 with one RBI.
Game Two – UChicago 14, Illinois Tech 4
Illinois Tech struck first in game two with two unearned runs in the second inning on a fielding error. However, UChicago wasted no time in tying the game up in the bottom of the second. Sophomore third baseman Brady Sarkon poked a bases-loaded single through the left side to plate a pair.
The Maroons continued their offensive onslaught with 16 total hits in the nightcap. Bohn went the other way in the third inning and smacked a two-run double to right. Parks laced a liner off the mound that allowed Bohn to score.
But it was the fourth inning that put the game to bed. The offense tallied nine runs in the frame against three different IIT pitchers. Bohn continued his torrid streak in the batter's box with a two-run double pulled over the leftfielder's head. Individual runs came in consecutively on Prescott's single up the middle, junior designated hitter Michael Davis' double to left and Parks' single through the right side. RBI singles from Lo, sophomore shortstop Max Brzostowski and Bohn kept the hit parade rolling, putting the Maroons in control at 14-2.
Two more unearned runs in the top of the fifth by IIT accounted for the final tallies of the day. Once again, all four scores went down as unearned thanks to three UChicago defensive miscues.
Freshman pitcher Nate Hendley (2-1) earned the start and the win. Over the course of five innings on the hill, Hendley's fastball/breaking ball combo netted seven strikeouts. He also walked four and surrendered four hits. Freshman Patrick Murphy (1 H, 1 K) and Davis (2 K) each threw one scoreless inning of relief.
Over the course of the four-game series with IIT, the Maroons' aggression on the base paths led to 20 stolen bases. Bohn blistered the Scarlet Hawks with a 4-for-4 performance in the finale with two doubles and five RBI. Parks was similarly effective, going 3-for-3 with two RBI and one steal. Brzostowski hit 2-for-3 with one RBI.