Pirates Baseball dropped all four games to #13 ranked Crowder College over the weekend. With the losses, the Pirates are now 7-27 overall and 5-19 in Region 16 play.
At home on Thursday the Pirates had their best chance of stealing a win. Heading into the top of the 6th inning of the opening game of the doubleheader, the Pirates held a 5-3 lead. Unfortunately, Crowder exploded for 13 runs in the final two frames to take the 16-5 victory. Game two saw Crowder dominate in a 13-0 victory. "We had some good momentum going in the first game but our pitching and defense let us down in the late innings. Giving up ten runs in the 6th was something we couldn't overcome," commented Coach Hillerman.
The Pirates hit the road Saturday to conclude the four game set but didn't fare any better. The tone was set early by star Crowder pitcher Aaron Ashby in the opener. He tossed five no-hit innings while racking up ten strikeouts in the 23-0 victory. The only Pirate to reach base in the game was Cameron Gardner who took a walk. "Ashby is an excellent pitcher and we knew that coming into the game. Anytime you face a pitcher who is averaging well over two strikeouts per inning you know he has good stuff," commented Coach Suttenfield. Game two did see the Pirates get on the scoreboard but ended up losing a 14-3 decision.
Next action for the Pirates is a road game Monday against Graceland University JV. First pitch in Lamoni, IA is set for 4pm.
