Baseball falls to William Jewell in 11

Truman struggled in extra innings and couldn't pull off the comeback against William Jewell College yesterday.

The baseball team (7-18, 4-12 MIAA) lost 10-5 in 11 innings to the Cardinals. Truman was scheduled to play Maryville University (Mo.) yesterday, but that was rescheduled to April 14. William Jewell made the trip to Kirksville in their absence.

"We had plenty of opportunities," head coach Dan Davis said. "Our pitchers, for the most part, gave us a chance. Obviously, the 11th inning was not good. We didn't play very well."

Junior Grant Daniels got the start for the Bulldogs. He was one of nine 'Dogs to pitch for Truman. None of the pitchers threw more than two innings. Senior Jake Smith took the loss for the Bulldogs after giving up four runs on two hits without getting an out. Truman gave up three runs in the first two innings but gave up just two runs for the next eight innings. The Bulldogs then gave up five runs in the 11th.

Junior third baseman Drew Garwood led the way for the Bulldogs. He went 3-for-3 with a RBI. Sophomore shortstop Steven Rose and catcher Devon Myers had two hits apiece.

Strong pitching and timely hitting this weekend gave the Bulldogs their second series win and first against a MIAA opponent this season.

Truman took three out of four against Pittsburg State University. The team batted .320 and scored 30 runs during the weekend. The 'Dogs' pitching staff gave up 15 runs, 10 of which came in the last game. Sophomore Ryan Trimble and freshman

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Jarrett Eiskina pitched complete games to earn their wins.

"In all facets of the game, we played very well," Davis said. "We pitched it unbelievably. We made plays defensively, and we hit the ball extremely well."

Eiskina's first complete game of the season also gave him his first win. The Bulldogs scored in four out of six innings and won 7-1 in Game 3. Eiskina pitched seven innings and gave up three hits and a run. He added six strikeouts and didn't issue a walk.

The team was led in Game 3 by junior designated hitter Luke Crader. He didn't have a hit on the day but tied an NCAA Div. 2 record by getting hit four times. Freshman right fielder Brett Budd and freshman second baseman Jordan Howe each had two hits. Budd and junior left fielder Mike Reese each had two RBIs.

Trimble started Game 1 and set the tone for the rest of the weekend. He threw his third complete game of the season and earned his fourth win. The 'Dogs won 4-1 as Trimble went seven innings and gave up six hits and a run.

Garwood did most of the damage offensively for Truman. He went 1-for-2 with his second home run of the year. Garwood also was hit by a pitch and scored two runs. Rose had one hit and two RBIs. Crader was 2-for-2 with two runs and a RBI.

In Game 2, the 'Dogs offense didn't let up as eight starters had at least one hit as Truman won 10-3. Reese, Budd and junior first baseman Bryce Bond each hit their first home run of the season. Reese finished the day 3-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs. The Bulldog four through eight hitters combined to go 10-for-21 with six runs and six RBIs.

"A guy who's been really hot for us, Myers, had a tough weekend," Davis said. "But, other guys picked up the slack and made sure that he didn't have to be the only guy [hitting]. It was a total team effort."

Junior Kyle Veazey earned the win for Truman. He went six innings and gave up six hits and three runs to earn his second win of the season. Sophomore Tyler Stefan picked up his first save of the season after three innings of work. He gave up three hits and didn't yield a run. Howe said the pitching staff did a good job limiting Pittsburg State.

"This season, it seems that some days our pitching would show up and we would fail to provide the offense," Howe said. "Sometimes our hitting would show up but we couldn't keep the other team from scoring. This weekend, our staff showed what they're capable of."

In Game 4, Truman rallied in the final innings but couldn't pull off the comeback and lost 10-9. Junior Michael Staihr was tagged with the loss. He went six innings and gave up nine hits and six runs, three earned. The Bulldogs' bullpen combined to pitch three innings and gave up four hits and four runs.

Truman trailed by seven runs going into the last inning. However, the Bulldogs sent 11 batters to the plate in the bottom of the ninth and scored six runs. In the inning, Truman had four walks, three hits, reached on one error and also had a player get hit.

Sophomore catcher Pete Jurich went 2-for-5 with two doubles and a RBI. Rose and Budd had two hits apiece, and Rose added two RBIs.

Trimble said the team showed what it was made of throughout the entire weekend.

"It says that even when it looks like we're down, we're not out of the game," Trimble said. "We have the ability to come back at any time."