The Little Giants' spring break trip to California continued on Sunday afternoon with a doubleheader at Chapman University. Wabash rallied from a 4-0 deficit in game one only to fall 6-5 in extra innings. The Little Giants were held to four hits in a 6-0 loss in the nightcap.
Senior Brian Van Duyn gave up a run in the first and three in the third before hitting a groove over the next 4-1/3 innings. He worked a total of 7-1/3 innings of seven-hit baseball, giving up three earned runs with two walks and four strikeouts.
Van Duyn's Wabash teammates gave him three runs in the top of the fourth inning. Sophomore Montana Timmons led off the frame with a double against the 17th-ranked Panthers, followed by a walk to John Holm. A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third. Freshman Trey Fankhauser was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. Senior David Seibel delivered a clutch single to score Timmons (left), followed by a two-run single by senior Joe Johnson to draw Wabash to within a run of Chapman.
The Little Giants tied the game in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by John Pennington. Seibel led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Johnson. A Brian Lares single sent Seibel to third, setting up the game-tying fly ball by Pennington.
Chapman took a 5-4 lead in the eighth before Wabash rallied once again. Johnson was hit by a pitch to lead off the ninth inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Lares. Pennington singled to left to move Johnson to third, who then scored easily on an RBI double by Timmons — his second two-base hit of the ball game. Pennington tried to score on the hit by Timmons, but was thrown out at home to end the Little Giants' threat and send the game into extra innings.
Wabash went down in order in the 10th before the Panthers produced three hits off Luke Zinsmaster in the bottom of the inning to earn the victory.
Chris Widup took the loss in game two, working six innings as the starter while allowing just three runs on 10 hits with a walk and four strikeouts. JT Miller pitched one inning with two unearned runs crossing the plate. He gave up three hits with a walk and a strikeout. Eric Foust pitched the final inning of relief allowing an unearned run with two hits, a walk, and a strikeout.
Timmons finished the two-game set with three total hits and an RBI. Johnson collected one hit in four at-bats with two RBI. Seibel had two hits and an RBI.
Wabash falls to 2-5 with the pair of losses. The Little Giants continue their west coast trip with a single nine-inning contest at Whittier College on Monday afternoon.