By Harrison LaLone, Sports Information student assistant

Auburndale, Fla. - The Alma College baseball team closed out its five-game schedule in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on Friday (Mar. 2) with a 6-5 loss to the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (IN).

Sophomore Josh Riggs (Irons, Mich./Brethren) started his second game of the season on the mound, earning five strikeouts in six innings pitched.

What Happened

• Despite a solid performance overall, the opening inning for Riggs proved to be difficult as the Engineers loaded the bases early in the inning. Riggs and the Scots escaped only giving up one run. Riggs would eventually be charged with three earned runs over his six innings.
• The Scots waited until the sixth frame to take the lead, and did so in an unusual way. Senior Matt Minaudo (Clinton Township, Mich./De La Salle Collegiate) opened with a bunt-single, sophomore Pete Carravallah (Canton, Mich./Plymouth/Adrian College) followed by reaching on an error, then junior Jordan Anstandig (West Bloomfield, Mich./Walled Lake Northern/Saginaw Valley State University) dropped a blooper into shallow leftfield. With the bases loaded, sophomore Jaret Koin (Sterling, Mich./Standish-Sterling Central) took a pitch to the shoulder, scoring Minaudo. Sophomore Max Trucks (Mt. Pleasant, Mich./Mt. Pleasant/Davenport University) walked to score Carravallah, and senior Nick Swanson (West Bloomfield, Mich./Notre Dame Prep) walked to score Anstandig.
• In the next inning, Koin laid down a bunt to advance Anstandig and Carravallah, but would reach first in time to load the bases. Carravallah would score on an errant throw toward first, but Koin would leave the game after that play due to an awkward step on first base.
• Things started to unravel in the seventh for Alma. Riggs was relieved after throwing over 120 pitches in six innings, and left with two men on. The Scots went through three relief pitchers before settling on junior Alex Archambeault (Lansing, Mich./Waverly/Lansing C.C.) to finish out the game, letting up three runs in the process. The Scots would give up two more runs in the eighth.
• After losing Koin in the fourth frame, Alma turned to freshman Alex Dwan (Saginaw, Mich./Nouvel Catholic Central) to play behind the plate. In the top of the ninth, with Minaudo standing on third after a triple to center, Dwan would bring in Alma's fifth and final run on a sacrifice fly, earning his first collegiate RBI.

Notables

• None of Alma's five runs were scored in direct correlation to a hit. Two were forced in by walks, one on Koin's hit-by-pitch, one on a sacrifice fly, and one on a throwing error.
• Matt Minaudo recorded the team's first triple of the season, and still leads the team in home runs and RBIs.
• Max Trucks walked three times in five plate appearances to keep up his .591 on-base percentage.

Up Next

The Scots return to action Sunday, Mar. 11, for a double-header at Hanover College (IN). The first home game for Alma will be a double-header with Finlandia University on Tuesday, Mar. 20.