The Wabash pitching staff recorded 16 strikeouts on the way to a two-game sweep in St. Petersburg over Monmouth College Monday afternoon. The Little Giants took a 7-6 victory in game one before Bill Goff (Brownsburg, IN/Brownsburg) and Jared Tarney (Ft. Wayne, IN/Bishop Dwenger) combined for a shutout in a 5-0 win in game two.
The Little Giants jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning of the morning contest. Junior Jared Bogan (Struthers, OH/Struthers) smashed a pitch to the right-centerfield wall, scoring Billy King (Peoria, AZ/Peoria HS—Glendale Comm. College) and David Culp (DeKalb, IL/DeKalb) with a two-run triple. An RBI single by Chris Sides (Brownsburg, IN/Brownsburg) and a run-scoring double by Nick George (West Lafayette, IN/Harrison) put Wabash up early. But the Little Giants saw the Fighting Scots tied the game with a three-spot in the second inning and two more runs in the third.
Wabash rallied for the win in the top of the seventh inning when Sides laced a one-out double to right-center. George ripped a two-out double down the left field line that scored pinch runner Patrick McCarley (Vina, AL/Vina) from second. Second baseman Nick Pompeo (Warren, OH/Howland) caught a break when his flyball to left center fell behind the Monmouth centerfielder, scoring George for an insurance run.
The Little Giants would need that run when the Scots scored one in the bottom of the seventh. John Thiry (Grand Rapids, MI/Grand Rapids Christian) shut the door, throwing a complete game for his first win of the season. Thiry scattered 11 hits and six runs, allowing only four earned. He struck out two and walked one.
Goff dominated from the mound in game two, holding the Scots to five hits and three walks in six innings of work. He kept the Monmouth hitters guessing, finishing the contest with 12 strikeouts. Tarney came on in the seventh, striking out two of the three batters he faced for the win.
Wabash scored twice in the first inning. Bogan brought King home with an RBI single, then scored off a George single. Two more runs came across in the fifth. King and Culp scored on a Bogan triple to right to put Wabash in front 4-0. A final insurance run in the sixth when Culp lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score Jon Elwardt (Naperville, IL/Naperville Central).
King went 5-for-6 for the day with two runs scored. George was 4-for-7 with three RBI’s. Bogan was 4-of-8 with four RBI’s.
Wabash will play Wartburg Tuesday afternoon beginning at 12:30 p.m. in New Port Richey, Florida.