WEST LIBERTY, Iowa – The Parkside Rangers completed a doubleheader sweep of Upper Iowa on Monday at West Liberty High School, earning a pair of victories to improve to 11-5 on the season. Parkside opened the day with a 6-0 shutout before securing a 6-2 win in game two.
Game 1
Parkside improved to 10-5 on the season behind a strong outing on the mound and timely offense that produced six runs.
The Rangers struck first in the second inning.
Joe Mrowiec reached on a single and stole second before moving to third on a groundout. Following a walk by
Noah Goddard, Mrowiec scored during a rundown play to give Parkside a 1-0 lead.
Parkside extended the lead in the third inning with three runs.
Jackson Lindquist led off the inning with a single and stole second before
Nolan Maciejewski drew a walk.
Trace Kirchberg delivered an RBI double to left field to score Lindquist and move Maciejewski to third.
Benjamin Loyd followed with a groundout that scored Maciejewski, and
Josh Wicker added an RBI single to right field to plate Kirchberg, extending the Rangers' lead to 4-0.
The Rangers added two insurance runs in the sixth inning.
Angel Rades walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch and stole third before scoring on another wild pitch. Later in the inning,
Mason Mitacek, pinch running for Goddard, scored when Maciejewski reached on a throwing error by the Upper Iowa shortstop.
Parkside finished with four hits but remained aggressive on the bases, recording five stolen bases in the game.
At the plate, Kirchberg led the Rangers with a double and RBI, while Wicker added an RBI single. Lindquist and Mrowiec each recorded a hit and scored a run, helping generate Parkside's offense throughout the game.
Brennen Miller (1-1) earned the win for the Rangers, throwing five shutout innings while allowing two hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
Austin Grube pitched the final two innings in relief, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out one to preserve the shutout.
Game 2
Parkside jumped out to an early lead and relied on strong pitching to secure the win in the second game of the day.
The Rangers opened the scoring in the first inning.
Nolan Maciejewski led off with a double down the right field line before
Benjamin Loyd drove him in with an RBI double to left center. Later in the inning,
Dylan Sayles drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home Loyd and give Parkside a 2-0 lead.
Parkside added another run in the third inning. After
Carter Storti was hit by a pitch and Sayles walked,
John Wubben delivered an RBI single through the left side to score Storti and extend the lead to 3-0.
The Rangers pushed the lead to 4-0 in the fifth inning. Storti reached with a single and later scored when Wubben recorded another RBI single, this time through the right side.
Parkside added two more runs in the sixth inning.
Max Johnson worked a walk and
Mason Mitacek followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Loyd then drove in Johnson with an RBI single to center field. Mitacek later scored on a sacrifice fly by
Joe Mrowiec, extending the Rangers' advantage to 6-0.
Upper Iowa got on the board in the sixth inning on a solo home run by JJ Vargas and added another run in the seventh on an RBI triple by Thane Meiners, but the Rangers held on for the 6-2 victory.
At the plate, Loyd led the Rangers with two hits, including a double, and two RBIs. Wubben also had a strong performance off the bench, going 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Maciejewski and Mitacek each added a hit, while Storti scored two runs to help pace the Parkside offense.
Leo Berger (1-0) earned the win for Parkside, tossing five shutout innings while allowing three hits with one walk and nine strikeouts.
Kyler Kennen allowed one run in 2/3 of an inning in relief.
Mateo Fuentes pitched one inning, allowing one run and striking out two.
Carson Klaus recorded the final out with a strikeout to secure the win.
Up Next
The Rangers will take on Roosevelt University in a non-conference matchup in Crestwood, IL, on Wednesday, March 11, at 3:00 p.m.
For all things Parkside Baseball and links to live coverage, visit
ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
