Written by Mason Ippel, Sports Information Student Assistant

Auburndale, Fla. - The Alma College baseball team faced off against Cabrini University (PA) Friday (Feb. 28) for its sixth game of the RussMatt Tournament and fell 19-12. The two teams faced off on Sunday (Feb. 23) with the Scots being victorious 15-5.

Jayden Drake (Frisco, Texas / Centennial) got the start on the mound for the Scots. The sophomore has pitched three times this season and got the start earlier in the tournament. Alex Dwan (Saginaw, Mich. / Nouvel Catholic Central) went 2-3 with two walks. Alma was unable to overcome six errors that resulted in ten unearned runs. The Scots were down 10 runs at one point but were able to bring it within three in the sixth.

Game Highlights

First Inning

• Drake only allows a walk as he shuts down the top of Cabrini's order.
• Jaret Koin (Sterling, Mich. / Standish-Sterling Central) reached on an error and Logan Huff (Johannesburg, Mich. / Johannesburg-Lewiston) walked to put ducks on the pond for Alma. Max Trucks (Mt. Pleasant, Mich. / Mt. Pleasant) would get a two out RBI single to score Koin.

Second Inning

• Dwan led the inning off with a standup double on a ball that hit halfway up the right field fence.

Third Inning

• Alma got two RBIs without swinging a bat. Zach Schirmer (Bay City, Mich. / Bay City Western) led off the inning with a single through the left side. Later, Trucks and Dwan walked to load the bases. Kevin Tuttle (Woodhaven, Mich. / Riverview Gabriel Richard) took one for the team as he got hit by a pitch to score a run. Joshua Robinson (Dewitt, Mich. / Dewitt) would get walked in the next at bat.

Fifth Inning

• Brendan McManus (Holland, Mich. / Holland) came in to relieve Drake.
• Avery Carnicom (Woodhaven, Mich. / Woodhaven) started the rally for the Scots with a leadoff double down the right field line. Dwan would follow it up with his second walk of the day. A Tuttle single up the middle would call for Cabrini to go to the bullpen.
• Koin hit a base clearing, one-hopper to the fence. The next pitch he would steal third and cause the catcher to throw the ball into the outfield that allowed him to score.

Sixth Inning

• Coach Crain went to the bullpen again. This time Clay Crouterfield (Standish, Mich. / Standish-Sterling) came in for McManus.
• Schirmer showed off his electrifying speed with a triple to right center. On the very next pitch, Huff saw a pitch he liked and crushed it over the trees in right center field. Two batters later, Carnicom hit a bomb over the trees in the same spot as Huff.
• Dwan would single and Tuttle walk before Robinson hit a ball through the middle that scored Dwan. Carravallah walked to load the bases. Schirmer would step to the plate for the second time in the inning and walk. Huff would get hit by a pitch to bring Alma within three.
• Cabrini used three different pitchers in the inning.

Seventh Inning

• Crouterfield comes out and holds Cabrini to its first scoreless inning since the first.

Eighth Inning

• Braden Jascoe started the inning on the mound for the Scots. Koin would come in to pitch from second later in the inning. Crain would move Schirmer from the DH to second base.

Ninth Inning

• Nick Baidoon (East Lansing, Mich. / East Lansing) came in to close out the inning.

Notables

• Huff's homerun is his fourth of the season.
• Carnicom's homerun is his second of the season.
• Koin has done his best Don Kelly impression as he has played four different positions in the RussMatt Tournament; catcher, pitcher, second base, and right field.
• Baidoon, Bobby Goerge (St. Johns, Mich. / St. Johns), Crouterfield, and Jascoe all made their college debut.

Next Up

The baseball team will finish its stretch in Florida with a doubleheader Saturday (Feb. 29) against Union College (NY). The first game is set to start at 10:00 a.m.