Summers Picks Up His Sixth Win Against No. 20 Spalding

LOUISVILLE, Ky.— The Griffins picked up a 4-1 win over No. 20 Spalding behind the gem outing from starter Luke Summers. In game two, the Griffins led 6-3 in the bottom of the ninth, however, the Golden Eagles scored four in the inning for the 7-6 split.

Fontbonne 4 Spalding 1

The story in game one belonged to hurler Luke Summers. The sophomore pitched a dominant game against Spalding offense that owned a team average above .330 on the season.

The St. Louis, Missouri, native, needed just 73 pitches in 7.0 innings of work to pick up his sixth win on the season. The Golden Eagles threatened in the bottom of the seventh but Summers escaped the bases loaded jam for the victory.

Offensively, the Griffins (14-15; 6-6 SLIAC) scattered 11 hits and were led by Braeden Dobbs as he went 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Jackson Penrod, Ryan Shocker, Deiydon Rushing and Jonathan Hoevelmann added the RBI.

Spalding (23-7; 10-2 SLIAC), meanwhile, were held to just one hit up until the seventh inning. Overall, they concluded with five hits, two of which coming off the bat of Matt Harper.

On the bump, Harper also got the ball and prior to his start he'd only appeared in a combined 6.0 innings. Today, the hurler went the distance, allowing four runs (two earned) and struck out two.

In the top of the second inning, the Griffins got on the board. Dobbs led off with a double to right-center and scored on Schocker's double.

They went on to pad onto that lead in the fifth as Gus Purschke got things going with a two-out double. He went on touch home on Penrod's double down the right field line and now it was a 2-0 game.

The Griffins kept the adding insurance runs in the sixth. Dobbs and Shocker led things off with consecutive singles. After a sacrifice-bunt from Matt Tossick, Dobbs scored on a fielding error by Spalding.

Then, Hoevelmann executed the squeeze play perfectly, allowing Shocker to score to put the Griffins ahead, 4-0.

In the seventh, things got a bit interesting. Garret Wilson and Harper reached base on back-to-back singles. Clay Kelly stepped in and brought Wilson home with a single.

The Golden Eagles got another single off the bat of Joe Hatcher and now the bases were loaded with the game-winning run at the bat.

Summers, though retired the final three batters on a strikeout, fly-out and a groundout to give Fontbonne a huge 4-1 win.

Spalding 7 Fontbonne 6

In game two, the Griffins finished with 10 hits and leading the way was Michael Golich as he went 3-for-5 with three runs scored. The Aurora, Illinois, native, extended his hitting streak out to 10 and has reached safely in his last 19.

Jackson Penrod and Braeden Dobbs, meanwhile, both tied with two RBI each. On the bump, reliever Brian Wacha took the tough loss. Starter Brett Lange started his first game on the year and he tossed a season-high 7.0 innings, allowing two runs and striking out three.

On the other side of the field, the Golden Eagles got home runs from Clay Kelly and a 3-run walk-off from pinch-hitter Eric Meyer. On the rubber, reliever Aaron Mitchell got the win after going 2.1 innings, allowing one run and striking out three.

The game remained scoreless up until the fourth. Golich and Purschke led off with consecutive singles. Three batters later, Dobbs came through with a two RBI single to left.

The team added another run in the fifth and an RBI single from Rushing in the sixth gave Fontbonne a 4-0 lead. In the home half, though Spalding got back in it on Kelly's 2-run homer.

In next half inning, Fontbonne got one of those runs back. Golich led off with a single and eventually worked his way over to third. He didn't have to stay there long as Penrod brought him home with an RBI single to left, extending the lead out to 5-2.

Kelly came through once more for Spalding with an RBI single in the eighth but the Griffins responded in the ninth.

Hoevelmann led off with a double. He went on to touch home on Penrod's RBI single putting the Griffins ahead 6-3 going into the final half inning.

Jeffery Chapuran got things started with a single and scored on Quenton Brownlee's triple to right-center. After a walk, Meyer stepped in off the bench and took Wacha's offering over the left-field wall, making it a 7-6 final.

The Griffins return home this weekend for a three game series against Iowa Wesleyan on Saturday. First-pitch will be thrown at 12 p.m.

Fans make sure to stay updated on fontbonnegriffins.com throughout the year for full updates and recaps on the baseball team.