Baseball Wraps Up Spring Break in North Carolina

The baseball team headed 13 hours down to North Carolina where they would face off against Mid Atlantic Christian University (MACU) for three games, and the Apprentice School of Newport News for four. The team stayed in a beautiful beach front AirBnb that was large enough to house the whole team, fitted with a movie theater, pool table, foosball table, hot tub, and outdoor pool, among other amenities. 

Day one of baseball saw the Tigers struggle to get the bats going against MACU, as they would drop game one 0-9, and game two 0-10. However, the pitchers held their own well as Riley Nieswender fired 5 innings of ball in game one while only giving up 3 earned runs. Adam Pierce also threw two scoreless innings past the Mustangs to end game two. 

Wednesday held the final game with MACU, and the Tigers made sure to land a few punches this time before finally falling by a final score of 9-11. Game three was highlighted by 3-hit performances by both AJ Scott and Carter Willis, and a clutch 2-out, 2 RBI double by Tyler Thomas. Grace would also steal 5 bases on the night, and looked to carry this momentum into the upcoming series against the Apprentice School. 

After a restful off day capped by mini golf and a seafood dinner, the Tigers took the field Friday in beautiful War Memorial Stadium, home to the professional Peninsula Pilots of the Coastal Plain League. The Builders of the Apprentice School would get off to a hot start and not look back, scoring 7 runs in the first inning, and taking game one by a score of 8-0. Freshman, Iwan Sitalo, got the start in this game and threw 5 strong innings, including 4 shutout innings after the 7-run first.

Grace would respond in game two, putting up 5 runs of their own, but eventually falling by a score of 5-17. Tyler Thomas started the game off right, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the top of the first with a solo shot over the left field wall. Alex Bonnema also had a great game at the plate, posting a 2-hit game, including 2 stolen bases. 

The Tigers looked to pounce on the Builders Saturday, but had trouble building momentum in game three, losing by a score of 0-20. 

Game four was the last chance for Grace to cap off the week on a high note, and that they did. The Tigers out-hit the Builders on the day with a tally of 13 hits, led by Caleb Achtaz, Lorenzo Lopez, Carter Willis, and Caiden Mead who all had 2-hit games each. Lopez sent his first hit of the day over the right field wall for a solo home run, the first of his collegiate career. Despite the clicking offense, 4 errors and too many walks did the Tigers in as they lost by a final of 7-15. 

Here were Coach Wolfe’s thoughts on the week: “It was a great week for the guys all in all. We didn’t get some of the results we wanted, but we identified some weaknesses for us that we can address, and I’m confident we can make some big strides moving forward.”

Grace looks to carry their offensive momentum into their next doubleheader Wednesday, March 22nd at Sienna Heights, who are currently 3-9 on the year.