RICHMOND, IN – The Principia baseball team traveled to Indiana to face the Earlham College Quakers in a two-game series originally scheduled for Saturday but pushed to Sunday due to weather. First pitch featured mid-40s temperatures and intermittent light rain, but both games were played without further delay.
Game 1: Earlham 6, Principia 5
Micah Cook took the mound for the Panthers in game one, delivering a solid 5 2/3 inning outing with four strikeouts while allowing three earned runs. Braxton Ramsey recorded Principia's first hit in the opening frame but was left stranded. The Panthers threatened early, with Skyler Stock reaching on a hit-by-pitch in the second and advancing to third, but were unable to push a run across.
Earlham broke through first in the bottom of the second, using a one out triple and a single to take a 1-0 lead. A similar sequence in the third extended their advantage to 2-0, but Cook minimized further damage with a critical inning-ending double play. When asked about how he felt today on the mound and what helped him have success he said, "I trusted my defense, knowing they had my back. So all I had to do is go out there and throw strikes, keep their hitters off balance, and allow my teammates to have my back."
The Panthers responded in the fourth as Ramsey and Kailis Mayo led off with singles. After stolen bases advanced the runners, Stock delivered an RBI single to left to cut the deficit to 2-1. Justice Fortson showcased his speed, beating out a potential double play ball to allow Mayo to score and tie the game at 2-2.
The game remained locked until the bottom of the sixth when Earlham regained the lead with a single and double. Cook exited with two outs and the bases loaded, handing the ball to Ethan Booth, who induced a crucial pop out to catcher Skyler Stock, who made an impressive running catch at the backstop.
Principia threatened in the seventh with a leadoff single from Fortson and a one out hit by Dean Wood, but Earlham's pitching held firm. In the eighth, Ramsey continued his strong day with his third single, followed by Mayo moving him up with a ground out. Stock then delivered his second RBI hit, chasing the Quakers' starter from the game. Tyler Gingras and Fortson added singles, giving Principia a 4-3 lead. Wood's clutch double stretched the advantage to 5-3.
Earlham answered in the bottom of the eighth with a triple and a double to start the frame, cutting the lead to 5-4. A sacrifice bunt moved the tying run to third, and a ground out evened the score at 5-5.
In the ninth, Josh Dement led off with a single, but the Panthers failed to bring him home. Charlie Reiss took the mound for the bottom of the ninth, but a leadoff single and an infield ground out set the stage for a tough-luck play. A ground ball down the first base line got away, allowing Earlham to walk off with a 6-5 victory.
Game 2: Earlham 14, Principia 0
Freshman Koye Calzada, coming off a quality start against Whitman, received the nod in game two and retired the side quickly in the first. However, control issues in the second led to an early hole as a leadoff walk, a single, and four additional walks gave Earlham the 3-0 lead.
Earlham capitalized again in the third, starting with a double and single and an error that plated a run. A base-running miscue allowed Principia to turn what could have been a big inning into a double play and a strikeout ended the frame. The Quakers tacked on another run in the fourth to extend their lead to 5-0.
Nick Dolci entered in the fifth but ran into trouble, surrendering four runs on two hits. Salvador Flores relieved him with one out and limited the damage, though Earlham managed to add a run on a sacrifice fly to push their lead to 10-0.
Nick Cotter entered to pitch with two outs in the bottom of the sixth and worked out of a jam, but Principia couldn't rally against Earlham's pitching, dropping the series finale. The Panthers struggled offensively, collecting just four hits. Josh Dement had two of them, while Drake Stilwell doubled to right-center and Rat Mean added a single.
Looking Ahead: The Panthers look to bounce back as they travel to Illinois Wesleyan for a single nine-inning game on Tuesday, with first pitch set for 5:00 pm.
