Blueboys Baseball Score 10 Runs In Final Innings To Split Against Grinnell

GRINNELL, Iowa. - The Illinois College baseball team closed out the 2024 regular season with a double-header road visit to Grinnell College on Sunday. The Blueboys battled the Pioneers closely in game one but dropped the decision by the final score of 2-4. IC responded with 10 runs in the late innings of the regular-season finale that resulted in a 13-8 victory.

The Blueboys finished the 2024 regular season with a overall record of 21-18 and a conference record of 8-15.

Game 1: Illinois College 2, Grinnell 4

First-year pitcher Charlie Lardi earned his sixth start of the season as he took the mound for IC. In the bottom of the first, Grinnell struck first on the scoreboard with a single run on a sacrifice flyout that made the score 0-1. Lardi responded with a very quick scoreless second inning. 

In the top of the third, Louie Bartletti launched his eleven home run of the season with a solo blast over the right field wall that tied that game at one apiece. The next batter in Ryne Mapes reached base after he was hit by the pitch. Moments later, Mapes stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by the GC's catcher. With one out, Adam Passmore drove in Mapes that gave IC the 2-1 advantage. 

The fourth and fifth innings was a pitcher's duel between IC's Lardi and Grinnell's Garrett Nasif as both student-athletes dealt scoreless innings.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Pioneers regained the lead with back-to-back hits rbi's by Sean Tashjian and Ben Kelly that made the score 2-3. Grinnell added their final run of the game on a bases-loaded walk that made the score 2-4. 

In the top of the ninth, Nolan Decker and Ryan Huskey both entered the game as pinch-hitters and reached base; a single to left by Decker and walk drawn by Huskey. Following those moves, IC called upon senior AJ Hankins to pinch-hit. In the Hankins at-bat, Decker advanced to third on a wild pitch. Moments later, Jonathon Odom entered the game as a pinch-runner at first. With two outs and the winning run at the plate, IC did not get another run across the board that generated the final score of 2-4. 

For the game, IC was led in hits by Passmore, Tyler Barker, and Connor Hennemann with two each while Bartletti and Passmore each drove in one. On the mound, Lardi delivered five and two-thirds innings and struck out all three batters of the game. Reliever Jarboe closed out the game with two and one-third innings of shutout baseball, 

Game 2: Illinois College 13, Grinnell 8

The Havana, Illinois native in Branson Shaw earned his eleventh start of the season in the regular season finale. In the top of the first, the Pioneers opened the game with a four-run inning on three hits that made the score 0-4. In the second, Shaw responded with quick inning of only three batters that resulted in a 5-4-3 double-play started by Brayden Weaver. 

In the bottom of the third, Grinnell added a single-run on a rbi single by Ben Schwartz that made the score 0-5. In the top of the fourth, IC chipped back with three-run inning that started on a rbi double to left center by Hennemann that scored Bartletti. The next batter in Decker cut the deficit to 2-5 as he drove in Barker. With two outs, Huskey ripped a rbi double to the gap of right center that scored Hennemann that made the score 3-5.  

In the bottom half of the fourth, Grinnell added a single-run on a rbi double by Lucas Hadding that increased the deficit to 3-6. The fourth and fifth innings was a pitcher's duel between IC's Anthony Buonaura and GC's Jake Hull as both student-athletes dealt zeros on the scoreboard. 

In the bottom of the seventh, the Pioneers increased the deficit to 3-8 with a two-run double by Evan Borberg.

In the top of the eighth, the Blueboys continued to battle back and erupted for a six-run inning that started on a rbi double by Decker to the score 4-8. Immediately following a pitching change by Grinnell, Huskey smashed a rbi single that scored Hennemann that made the score 5-8. 

The next batter in Logan Schweigert cut the deficit to one at 7-8 with a two-run double to the gap of right center that scored Decker and Huskey. With one out and a runner on third, Mapes tied the game at 8-8 with a sacrifice flyout that scored Schweigert. IC took the lead for the first time of the game at 9-8 on a rbi double to left by Passmore that scored Bartletti. 

In the bottom of the eighth, IC made a pitching change to Jarboe as recorded a quick and scoreless inning that kept IC on top at 9-8. In the top of the ninth, the Blueboys got four massive insurance runs. Weaver increased the lead to 11-9 on a rbi single to right center by that scored pinch-runner Brandon Smith and Huskey as a throwing error by the GC's right fielder allowed Huskey to score. With runners in scoring position, Mapes smashed a two-run right back up the middle that scored Schweigert and Weaver that made the score 13-8.  

In the bottom of the ninth, Jarboe shut the door on the Pioneers and recorded the final three outs for his second save of the season. 

For the game, IC had four student-athletes record at least three hits while Mapes drove in a team-high three runs. On the mound, Shaw pitched a four inning outing that included six groundouts and four flyouts. Reliever Buonaura recorded the only three strikeouts of the game in two and two-thirds innings of work. Jarboe pitched the final two innings as Aden Emery was credited with the win. 

With the victory in game two, the Blueboys have officially closed out the 2024 season.