The Tabor College baseball team continued its winning ways by sweeping a four-game series with Northwestern (Iowa), a team receiving votes in the NAIA preseason Top 25 poll.
The series began Friday with a doubleheader. Tabor won Game 1, 9-2. The Bluejays trailed, 2-1 after three innings before securing the lead for good with a six-run, four-hit fourth inning which included a three-run home run by Michael Baca as well as an RBI triple by Jerrik Sigg. Tabor added two runs on two hits in the bottom of the sixth. Baca was 3-for-4 at-bat with three RBIs. Sigg also had a double.
Dustin Hurlbutt was the winning pitcher. Over five innings, he gave up three hits and two runs (none earned), while walking one batter and striking out five.
Tabor followed with a 7-3 victory in Game 2. This time, the Bluejays built a 6-0 lead over four innings, highlighted by the fourth inning in which Tabor used three hits and an error to score four runs.
Northwestern scored two runs in the fifth, Tabor added its final run in the sixth on a Sigg home run, and Northwestern scored once more in the seventh. Alex Couch and Manny DeLeon were both 2-for-3 at-bat. Couch had one RBI. DeLeon hit a double.
Russell Longworth (2-0) was the winning pitcher. Over five innings, he gave up four hits and two runs (none earned). He walked no one and struck out three batters.
Tabor gained a 4-2 win in Game 1 Saturday. The Bluejays scored all four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning before Northwestern brought two home in the top of the seventh. In the sixth inning, Tanner Bell drove in two runs with a single and Brent McClure had an RBI single. Colton Flax hit a sacrifice fly.
Jean Acevedo (2-0) was the winning pitcher. In seven innings, he gave up four hits and two runs (both earned), while walking one and striking out five.
Tabor completed the sweep with a 10-2 win in Game 2. The Bluejays led 3-0 after two innings. Northwestern added a run in both the fourth and sixth innings before Tabor used two hits and three errors to score seven runs in the bottom of the sixth. The inning included an RBI single by Sigg and an RBI double by Bell. Couch went 2-for-4 with four RBIs.
David Renteria (1-0) was the winning pitcher. Over four innings, he gave up four hits and one run (unearned) while walking four and striking out four.
Coming?Tabor (8-0) is slated to travel to Oklahoma City for three games this weekend.
Saturday?s opponents include MidAmerica Nazarene, a team receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 poll, and No. 16 Oklahoma City University. The Bluejays will face Oklahoma City a second time in a nine-inning game Sunday.
