(RV) Griffins Hand (RV) Spalding First Conference Loss In Game Two

ST. LOUIS, Mo.—The (RV) Fontbonne University baseball team earned a split on Saturday against (RV) Spalding University as the Golden Eagles took game one 3-2, but the Griffins bounced back with an 8-7 win in game two to hand Spalding its first conference loss.

Game One

Score: Spalding 3, Fontbonne 2

Location: Shaw Park

Records: Spalding 13-6, 3-0 SLIAC; Fontbonne 13-3, 0-1 SLIAC

How It Happened

In the first, the Golden Eagles grabbed a 2-0 lead on a Quenton Brownlee RBI single and scoring another run on a Fontbonne error.

That score remained the same up until the fourth. Braeden Dobbs led off with a single and two batters later he trotted on home as Lance Chapman ripped his third home run on the year to tie the game.

It remained tied up until the top of the seventh. Cody Milliner led off and took Luke Summers offering over the left field wall to give Spalding a 3-2 lead. Fontbonne put the tying run on with two outs in the bottom half, but Lane Staples came out of the pen in relief to earn the save.

Fontbonne Notables

• Summers dropped his first on the year after allowing three runs (one earned) and struck out eight. He's now just 16 strikeouts away from becoming the all-time leader at Fontbonne.
• At the dish, Hoevelmann and Gus Purschke contributed two hits.
• Jackson Penrod, Dobbs, and Chapman had the other hits.

Spalding Notables

• Starter Zach Jones improved to 4-0 on the year after allowing two runs on seven hits in 6.2 innings.
• Eric Meyer had two hits, while Brownlee and Milliner had a hit and RBI each.

Game Two

Score: Fontbonne 8, Spalding 7

Location: Shaw Park

Records: Fontbonne 14-3, 1-1 SLIAC; Spalding 13-7, 3-1 SLIAC

How It Happened

In the bottom of the first, the Griffins came out on fire. Purschke and Penrod got things started with consecutive singles.

Dobbs followed with an RBI double to left that brought home Purschke to give them a 1-0 lead. Michael Puckett, Jr., stepped in and cleared the bases with a 3-run shot to left, his first on the year, to make it a 4-0 contest.

An RBI sacrifice-fly from Purschke extended it out to 5-0. Then, in the bottom of the fourth, the Griffins made it an 8-0 game on Dobbs' RBI double and Puckett, Jr., two RBI single to left.

However, RBI singles from Zane Baker in the fifth and Brownlee in the sixth cut the deficit down to 8-2. In the seventh, the Golden Eagles scored five runs on six hits and were now trialing 8-7.

The Griffins, though settled down and despite a couple warning track fly-outs by the Golden Eagles in the ninth, Mike Jacobson closed the door for his second save to secure the one-run win.

Fontbonne Notables

• Alex Phillips stayed unbeaten on the year after allowing six runs (five earned) and striking out eight.
• Jacobson worked 3.0 innings of two hit ball and struck out two.
• At the dish, Puckett, Jr., led with a 2-for-3 performance and a season-high five RBI.
• Hoevelmann extended his hitting streak out to six as did Purschke with his two-hit performance.
• Dobbs has reached safely in his last 13 games after going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI.
• Matt Tossick, Matt Manint, and Tyler Chambliss contributed one hit each.

Spalding Notables

• Hayden Davenport fell to 1-2 on the year after allowing five runs in 3.0 innings pitched.
• Milliner led at the plate going 2-for-4 with a run scored and three RBI.
• Eric Meyer and Baker had two hits and an RBI a piece.

Up Next:

• The Griffins are back on the road Wednesday when they'll pay a visit to Illinois College for a single nine inning game. First-pitch at 3 p.m.

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

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