Sophomore Brian Van Duyn threw eight innings of shutout baseball in his first start of the year to guide Wabash to a 6-0 win at Texas Lutheran Monday afternoon.
Van Duyn nearly missed the trip to Texas with his teammates after being diagnosed with the flu two days before the Little Giants left. He showed no signs of being weakened by the illness, holding the Bulldogs to three hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Van Duyn shut down DIII National Player of the Week Jeremy Macklin at the plate. The Texas Lutheran senior, who set a school record with 18 RBIs in a three-game weekend series against Mississippi College while batting .917 (11-of-12), was 0-for-4 versus Van Duyn with two ground outs and two flyouts.
Head coach Cory Stevens discusses the game.
The Bulldogs’ Louis Lee matched Van Duyn pitch for pitch, keeping Wabash off the scoreboard until the eighth inning. Jake Thomas opened the eighth with a single, then moved to second on a wild pitch. A ground out by Matt Dodero sent Thomas to third before freshman John Holm lifted a fly ball to center for the eventual game-winning run on the sacrifice fly.
The Little Giants added five runs in the ninth in one of the strangest innings imaginable. Wabash loaded the bases with two outs with a fielder’s choice, a walk, and an infield single. Thomas brought home a run with a walk before Dodero beat out an infield single to score Joe Johnson with an insurance run. One batter later Holm cleared the bases with a double down the left field line for his fourth RBI of the game and 14 of the season.
Keegan Leckrone worked the ninth inning to preserve the shutout for Van Duyn, recording the first scoreless outing for a Wabash pitching staff since back-to-back shutout against Monmouth in 2006.
Wabash had seven hits, one each for Brian Lares, Tanner Coggins, David Seibel, Chris Deig, Thomas, Dodaro, and Holm.
Dodaro’s hit provided the 247th total base of his career, setting the Wabash all-time record. The previous record of 246 was set by Mike Mack ’04.
The Little Giants even their season mark at 3-3 with the win. Wabash will play at Schreiner University Tuesday afternoon.
Photo - John Holm is congratulated by his teammates after driving home the first run of the game in the eighth inning. Photo by Nancy Coggins.