Hammond, Ind - The Parkside Rangers snapped their three-game losing streak with a win over the Purdue Northwest Pride on Tuesday afternoon. In the nightcap, the Rangers suffered a defeat in a nail-biter, 2-1.
GAME ONE
In the opening game of the day, the Rangers wasted absolutely no time getting themselves on the board. In the first inning, John St. Clair got the Rangers started with a base hit, and he stole second right away. Two batters later, Peter Fusek drove him in on an RBI single, giving Parkside an early 1-0 lead. The next hitter, Emanuel Andujar Ferreira, drilled a double into the left center field gap scoring Fusek.
Later in the first inning, Camden Kearney put the Rangers back on the board by singling to left field, bringing Andujar Ferreira home from third. Parkside strung together five hits in the opening frame, and led 3-0.
Parkside's pitching was stellar all day long, as four pitchers combined to complete seven innings. Noah Gerritson got the nod in the opening game and lasted two innings. Gerritson struck out four hitters, allowed a run, and handed the ball to Austin Grube in the third inning. Grube would go on to throw 3.1 innings with six strikeouts. He allowed a run in the fourth inning and the Rangers 3-0 lead was cut to 3-2.
After the explosive first inning, the Rangers' offense went quiet. However, in the fifth inning, the Rangers were clinging onto a one run lead and were ready to add on. After Peter Fusek collected his second hit of the game, he stole his way to second base and into scoring position. A few hitters later, Jude Allen smoked an RBI single into left field, providing some necessary insurance. The Rangers led 4-2 after five innings.
In the sixth inning, Grube gave up a solo home run and was forced out of the game. He left in a 4-3 game and Nathan Ciemny took over. Ciemny walked a pair of hitters and Leo Burger took over in a jam. Burger got the final outs of the inning and sent the game to the final inning.
Jude Allen provided Parkside a huge insurance run in the seventh inning. Allen, who had three hits in the game, got a hold of a baseball and clobbered it over the left field fence. It was Allen's first collegiate long ball and the Rangers led 5-3 headed to the final frame.
Leo Burger slammed the door in the seventh, striking out the side. In total, Burger struck out four hitters and his fourth save of the season. In the 5-3 victory, Parkside pitching combined to strikeout 14 Pride hitters.
GAME TWO
The Rangers and Pride were in a slow scoring battle in the second game of the day. Parker Swanson was given the start on the mound and was the best he has been all season long. However, the Rangers offense was held to just six hits and one run in the nine inning contest.
Scoring wasn't easy for both sides. In fact, the game was scoreless through five innings. Swanson went seven innings and tossed just 97 pitches. He struck out six hitters in the process. The Pride finally got to Swanson in the sixth inning, taking him deep and taking a 1-0 lead.
In the seventh inning, Parkside responded and tied the game. Peter Fusek had a big day at the plate as he came through once again. Fusek singled and scored Jared Heinzen from second base. The Rangers and Pride were tied at one headed to the bottom of the eighth inning.
Swanson faced one hitter in the eighth and gave up his second solo shot of the game. The Pride took a 2-1 lead headed in the final inning.
In the ninth inning, the Rangers brought the tying run into scoring position but were unable to level the score. They were taken down 2-1 and the programs split the midweek double header. The Rangers record goes to 16-19 overall and 5-12 in GLIAC play.
NEXT
Parkside will return back home with a four-game series on the horizon. They will play host to Davenport University beginning on Friday at the College of Lake County. The series will continue with two games on Saturday and the finale on Sunday. For coverage of the events, visit ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
