The plane that would eventually take the Wabash baseball team to Phoenix, Arizona was late arriving to Indianapolis Saturday afternoon. The Little Giants pitching and fielding, it seems, took an even later plane.
Wabash committed six errors and surrendered 20 earned runs in its opening two games of the 2007 season. The team rallied late in the second game of a double-header against Wartburg College Sunday afternoon, only to lose 17-9 to the Knights. The Little Giants lost 10-2 in the opening contest of the 2007 season.
The Little Giants loaded the bases in the fourth inning for second baseman Mike Nowak, who proceeded to take a pitch in the chest to bring home a run. That kept the bases loaded for shortstop Matt Dodaro, who blasted a pitch over the left field to trim the Wartburg lead to three.
Wabash would get no closer. The Knights answered with three runs of their own in the top of the fifth inning before producing two insurance runs in the seventh.
The Little Giants trailed 5-0 before freshman Kyle Rush slammed a two-out double off the left-center field wall in the bottom of the second to score Bobby Ritz and David Culp. Shaun Rico hit the first homer of the year for Wabash in the third, lifting a two-run shot over the left field fence after Jake Thomas raced to third on a one-out triple. Wabash finished the game with 11 hits.
Game one was different story, however. Wabash would manage just two runs on six hits, while the Knights tallied 10 runs on 11 hits. The Little Giants struck first with a run in the opening inning off a double by Thomas to score Nowak. Wartburg responded with run in the bottom of the first to tie the game before taking an 8-1 lead after scoring two in the second and five in the third.
Scott Hamilton brought home the second run for the Little Giants in the fourth with a single to score freshman third baseman Travis Sterling.
Thomas was 3-for-7 for the afternoon with a double, a triple, and one RBI. Rush went 3-7 in his Wabash debut, while Nowak was 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
The Little Giants continue their Arizona trip with two games against Lebanon Valley Monday afternoon.