GAME 1 vs. Muskegon CC
IN BRIEF: The Builders defeated Muskegon Community College by a score of 4 to 1. Strong pitching from Senior Paul Jones led the Builders to their fifth straight win of the season. Jones pitched 6 innings for the Builders, striking out 5 and giving up 1 run. The Builders struck first in the oppening frame taking an early 2 to 0 lead. Back to back walks from James Williams and Gevin Nixon, followed by a single from Maxwell Burcham led to the Builders first run of the game. An RBI groundout from Brent Byrum gave the Builders their second run of the game. In the 3rd inning, Maxwell Burcham walked and came around the bases to score on a wild pitch. The Builders added one more run in the 4th when Thomas Packert was hit by a pitch and later scored on an RBI single from Gevin Nixon. In the 7th, the Builders turned to Tyler Winegrad to shut the door. Winegrad made quick work of the Muskegon batters, getting an easy 1-2-3 inning to earn the save.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE:
- Paul Jones pitched 6 innings with 5 strikeouts
- James Williams was 2 for 3 with a run scored
- Gevin Nixon, Maxwell Burcham and Brent Bryum all had an RBI for the Builders
GAME 2 vs. Muskegon CC
IN BRIEF: The Builders dropped this low scoring affair late in the game by a score of 3 to 2. The Builders took a 2 to 1 lead in the third inning on a single from James Williams. The Builders help this lead until the 6th inning, when Muskegon brought home 2 runs to take a 3 to 2 lead. The Builders put up a fight in the 7th but the Muskegon closer slammed the door and the Builders dropped their first game of the season.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE:
- James Williams was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI's
- Andrew Castine pitced 6 innings, struck out 5 and gave up 1 earned run
GAME 3 vs. St. Thomas
IN BREIF: The Builders scored early to take a 1 to 0 lead in the top of the 1st, but that would be the end of the scoring for the Builders in this one. St. Thomas went on to score eight unanswered runs to win the game 8 to 1. St Thomas was led by pitcher Ian Exposito who pitched six innings and recorded 12 strikeouts. Cody Hendrickson drove in the only run for the Builders as the pitching from St. Thomas was too much in this contest.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE:
- Cody Hendrickson was 1 for 3 with an RBI
- Maxwell Burcham was 1 for 3 with a run scored
GAME 4 vs. St. Thomas
IN BRIEF: St. Thomas jumped out for a big 7 to 0 lead in the 1st, and this would prove to be too much for the Builders. The Builders lost 19 to 3 to a very good St. Thomas team. The Builders got on the board in the 2nd inning on an RBI single from Dalton Dye. The Builders scored again in the 4th after Maxwell Burcham reached third base on a double then a wild pitch, followed by a sacrafice fly.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE:
- Mark Watts was 1 for 1 with an RBI
- Dalton Dye was 1 for 1 with an RBI
GAME 5 vs. Bethel College
IN BRIEF: The Builders picked up their second victory with a 4 to 3 walk off of Bethel College. Bethel opened up the scoring in the 2nd inning, taking a 1 to 0 lead. The Builders responded in the 3rd inning by scoring three runs of their own. A double by Cody Hendrickson drove in James Williams, and a single by Brent Byrum scored Cody Hendrickson and Thomas Packert. Bethel would tie the game a 3 to 3 and the game would go to extra innings. Luke Schanback pitched 7.1 innings striking out 6 batters, before Thomas Packert would get the final two outs of the 8th inning. The Builders went on to win on a walkoff single by Gevin Nixon.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE:
- Dalton Dye was 3 for 4
- Brent Byrum was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs
- Thomas Packert picked up the win
GAME 6 vs. Bethel College
IN BRIEF: Bethel scored two runs in the 1st and would hold that lead until the 5th inning, when the Builders would plate three runs. Brian Fritzinger's single scored Brent Byrum. A wild pitch would score Dalton Dye, and a double by Gevin Nixon would give the Builders a 3 to 2 lead. Bethel went on to score three runs in the bottom half of the 5th, and would hold on to win this game 6 to 3.
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE:
- Brian Fritzinger was 1 for 3 with an RBI
- Dalton Dye was 1 for 2 with a walk and an RBI
- Clay O'Brien pitced 3.2 innings, striking out 4 batters
UP NEXT: The Builders will host Stratford University on Wednesday March 6th at 2:00 PM at War Memorial Stadium.