April 22, 2011
ARKADELPHIA- Offensive production was never in question on Friday for Ouachita Baptist, as the Tigers piled up 29 runs in a doubleheader sweep over Arkansas-Monticello in Gulf South Conference West Division action at Rab Rodgers Field on Friday.
For senior Sam McGill, the prospect of playing his last home series of his collegiate career struck a chord, as the Erie, Pa. native finished the doubleheader with 10 RBI on 7-of-8 hitting. In the opener alone, the senior hit a grand slam home run and collected seven RBI in the 13-10 win.
Ouachita (18-26, 7-10 GSC West) left no doubt of a Saturday sweep with a 16-1 victory in the second game of the doubleheader over the Boll Weevils (17-22, 6-11 GSC West). The Tigers won a 13-10 battle in the opener.
In the first game of the afternoon, Ouachita fell behind 5-4, before exploding with eight runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The fourth began with back-to-back doubles from senior Cass Via and junior Brock Green, as Via scored on the second one, tying the game at 5-5. McGill then followed with a towering grand slam to left field, pushing the score to 9-5. Bookend back-to-back doubles again from Via and Green closed out the inning, scoring three runs combined for a 12-5 lead.
Freshman Keegan Ghidotti opened the fifth inning with a single for the Tigers, scoring on McGill’s RBI single to produce the final run for the home team for a 13-6 lead that would hold throughout the games’ entirety.
Along with McGill’s production, Via finished at 3-for-6 with two RBI with Green adding a 2-for-5 day with two RBI. Ghidotti (2-for-3, two runs, RBI) and sophomore Duncan Collins (1-for-4, run, RBI) added hits.
Junior Ryan Westover (2-4) notched the win on the mound, going six innings and allowing three earned runs on 10 hits.
In the second game, Ouachita picked up where they left off in the opener, scoring four runs to open the game with a 4-1 lead. Ghiddoti started things with an RBI single, scoring Via to tie the game at 1-1. McGill followed with an RBI double, plating Ghidotti, while Collins added an RBI single to center field that drove in McGill. To finish off the inning, sophomore Nick Crump recorded an RBI single, driving in senior Justin Hall for a 4-1 lead.
The second inning mirrored the first: four runs on four hits, beginning with singles from Green and McGill, as McGill drove in senior Kyle Zimmerman for a 5-1 advantage. After a single by Hall, Collins added an RBI on a bases-loaded walk, as Green scored. A two-run single from Crump ended the inning with Hall and McGill scoring for an 8-1 lead.
Back-to-back doubles from Via and Green led off the third, as Via scored from second. Ghidotti added an RBI single that scored Green to continue the impressive offensive start at 10-1.
After taking a one inning vacation from scoring opportunities, Ouachita returned to their old antics, scoring five runs on four hits. A double for Zimmerman and an RBI single for Green made it 11-1, continuing to a 12-1 lead when McGill added an RBI single that scored Via. Crump added an RBI on a bases-loaded walk, then senior Ben Warner connected on a two-run single to center field, scoring Hall and McGill for a 15-1 lead.
McGill opened the sixth with a single, scoring on a sacrifice groundout by Collins to set the final margin at 16-1.
As offensively minded Ouachita was at the plate, it was just as equally impressive with a complete game, two-hit victory for senior Kolby Moore (8-5). Moore allowed just one run and struck out seven in the win.
McGill finished 4-for-4, while Green added a 3-for-4 day with three runs and two RBI. Ghidotti hit 2-for-3 with two RBI, as Crump recorded a career day at 2-for-4 with four RBI. With a 1-for-4 day offensively, Collins added three RBI, as Warner went 1-for-1 with two RBI.
The three-game series will conclude on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Rab Rodgers Field. Senior Day activities for the 2011 senior class will begin around 12:45 p.m.
