ORIGINALLY WRITTEN TOM STOPPEL
The Tabor College baseball team dropped a pair of games to Mid-America Nazarene, 12-7 and 3-2, Wednesday in Hillsboro.
Staring pitcher Cooper Garbe took the loss in the opener. He allowed eight hits but only two earned runs as the Bluejays committed four fielding errors.
Offensively, Casey Hillman blasted a three-run home run and Kevin Peterson launched a solo shot as the Bluejays recorded nine hits.
“We didn’t play good defense again,” coach John Sparks said. “That’s been our downfall early in this season.”
In the second contest, starter Jeremy Sneed eventually took the loss even Mid-America managed only four hits in the game.
A two-out first-inning home run staked Mid-America to a 1-0 lead, but Tabor tied the score in the second when Hillman led off with a single, advanced to third on a Chance Miles single and scored on a Casey Cooper sacrifice.
The Bluejays took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third when Josh Craig was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and eventually scored on a Peterson double.
But Mid-America answered with a solo home run in the fourth to tie the score and then pushed across what proved to be the winning run in the sixth on a pair of singles and a sacrifice.
Tabor managed six hits in the loss, which dropped its record to 7-7.
“We just couldn’t string any hits together,” Sparks said. “But I think we’re still a confident team.”
Tabor’s doubleheader in Manhattan with Manhattan Christian was postponed due to a wet field on Saturday.
Coming-Tabor was scheduled to kick off its KCAC slate with a pair of games at Sterling on Monday. Results weren’t available at press time.
On Thursday, the Bluejays host William Jewell and then travel to McPherson on Saturday to tangle with Central Christian College.
