The Little Giants enjoyed an 8-4 lead going into the seventh inning of Sunday’s opener before the Quakers exploded for five runs to take a one-run lead. Freshman catcher Justin VanderIest (Hudsonville, MI/Hudsonville HS) answered the call for Wabash, blasting a solo homer over the left field fence and onto Jennison Street to even the game at 9-9. The Little Giants weren’t done, however. A walk to Tyler Nance (Celebration, FL/Celebration) and single by Danny Schubert (Lebanon, IL/Lebanon) put runners on the corners for Wabash. Senior pitcher Jake Martin (Rushville, IN/Rushville) scalded a ball toward second, but beat out the throw to first to avoid the double play as pinch-runner Todd Dodson (Franklin, IN/Franklin Community) raced home with the winning run.
Sophomore Jon Horne (Cincinnati, OH/St. Xavier) earned the win in relief. Martin went six innings, striking out five. Schubert went 3-for-3 in the game with an RBI and run scored. VanderIest was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI on the solo home run.
Wabash pounded out 15 hits in the second game in support of senior pitcher Marc Rowe (West Point, IN/McCutcheon), who earned his first start of the season in his final appearance of the year. Rowe, a fixture in the Little Giants’ bullpen this season, picked up his second win of the year in a complete game 10-hit performance. He struck out three, holding the Quakers to two runs.
Freshman outfielder Phillip Ramos (Zillah, WA/Zillah) went 4-for-5 from the plate, including his first home run in a Wabash uniform. Ramos finished the game with four RBIs and two runs scored, pounding out two base hits and double in addition to his dinger. Sophomore Jared Bogan (Struthers, OH/Struthers) added three hits in three at bats to pace Wabash.
The Little Giants scored in every inning, picking up three in the first, one in the second, and four in the third to put the final game of the year out of reach. The victory finished a five-game winning streak for Wabash at the end of the season. The Little Giants swept the Quakers in the four-game weekend series after capturing wins in two games on Saturday. Wabash also claimed a win at Victory Field in Indianapolis, Indiana on Tuesday night over Franklin College.
Wabash topped the 20-win mark for only the sixth time in school history. The 22 wins by Coach Tom Flynn’s squad are the third-most victories in by any Little Giant baseball team. Only the 1997 and 1998 teams won more games, each finishing with 25 victories. The Little Giants also finished with their best finish in the North Coast Athletic Conference Western Division since joining the conference in 1999, taking third with a record of 10-6.