Pitching Shines, Offense Explodes as Wildcats Sweep Doubleheader

The Culver-Stockton baseball squad looks to get back on track as they pick up two wins in Saturday’s doubleheader against the Graceland Yellowjackets. The four-game series will conclude on Tuesday, April 1, after weather-related delays pushed the remaining games back.

Game 1 was a pitchers’ duel, going the full seven innings before the Wildcats walked it off with a 1-0 victory. Davin Meier took the mound for Culver-Stockton, delivering 5.1 hitless innings before finishing his outing with two hits allowed, three walks, and six strikeouts. Graceland’s Jacob Abernathy countered with a strong performance of his own, pitching 6.1 innings while allowing five hits, one earned run, two walks, and striking out just one. Thiago Telles entered in relief but surrendered the game-winning hit.

The decisive moment came in the bottom of the seventh. Jordan Scott led off with a pop fly to the infield for the first out. Bryan Barretto followed with a double to left field, prompting Eli Friend to enter as a courtesy runner. Harry Oden then hit a ground ball to shortstop, but the play couldn’t be corralled in time, allowing Friend to advance to third while Oden reached first. Graceland made a pitching change, bringing in Telles, who then intentionally walked Jeremiah Morris to load the bases, hoping for a double-play opportunity. However, Ryan Osso came through with a clutch hit between first and second, driving in Friend for the walk-off win. Meier secured the victory, improving to 1-4 on the season, while Abernathy took the loss, also moving to 1-4.

Game 2

The Wildcat offense erupted in Game 2, securing an 11-2 victory behind a dominant pitching performance from Clay Street. He allowed just one earned run on seven hits, striking out six and walking only one. Graceland struggled on the mound, cycling through six different pitchers.

Offensively, Tristan Meny had a stellar performance, going 3-for-3 with four runs scored, including a home run. Oden was equally impressive, finishing 4-for-4 with three RBIs. Street earned the win, improving his record to 4-2, while Izaac Rabelo took the loss, falling to 2-3.

The Wildcats will look to secure their first conference series win when the teams conclude the series on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. CST.