Vander Molen Posts Big Day as Trojans Split with Huntington
Game 2
Game 2
![Huntington](https://cdn.prestosports.com/action/cdn/logos/id/wkb70j9bulqfynsw.png)
![Taylor](https://cdn.prestosports.com/action/cdn/logos/id/ovdhk46p87lcage1.png)
Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
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2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 5 | 5 | 0 |
Game 1
Game 1
![Huntington](https://cdn.prestosports.com/action/cdn/logos/id/wkb70j9bulqfynsw.png)
![Taylor](https://cdn.prestosports.com/action/cdn/logos/id/ovdhk46p87lcage1.png)
Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 20 | 19 | 1 |
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3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 9 | 1 |
![Vander Molen Posts Big Day as Trojans Split with Huntington](/images/2021-22/Baseball/Vander_Molen_Huntington.jpg?max_width=1200)
Team Stats
Game 1
Huntington
UPLAND, Ind. – In a day of extremes, the Taylor baseball team split its day-two doubleheader with Huntington (6-10, 4-4), losing game one and allowing 20 Forester runs before shutting the visitors out in game two by a score of 5-0.
First baseman, Kade Vander Molen, led the offensive charge for the Trojans, going 4-7 at the plate throughout the day while smacking two doubles and two home runs en route to six total runs-batted-in.
The game-two victory was solidified, however, by the strong right arm of sophomore pitcher, Matt Dutkowski (3-0), who recorded eight strikeouts through six shutout-innings in which he surrendered just two hits.
The shutout was then completed when Kaleb Kolpien made the move from DH to the mound, retiring the Foresters one-two-three in the seventh while sitting two batters down via the strikeout.
The five Taylor runs came in the first and third innings, thanks in large part to two Vander Molen doubles while also capitalizing on four Forester errors, three of which came in a troublesome first inning for the Foresters.
In tandem with Vander Molen's two game-two RBI, Jacob Morris drove in a pair of runs of his own with a two-out single to left field to make it a 5-0 game in the third.
The five-run cushion was more than enough for Dutkowski and Kolpien, as the Trojan-duo combined for the team's third shutout of the season.
Taylor's shutout win in game two was especially significant for the team after a disheartening game-one loss, in which the Huntington offense posted 20 runs on 19 hits.
While the Forester offense proved nearly unstoppable in game one, the Taylor bats put up 10 runs of their own, fueled along the way by three home runs.
Vander Molen blasted two, one to right-center and the other to left, while the freshman, Kolpien, made it a trio of Trojan home runs with his second-career home run. Furthermore, Kolpien and Vander Molen went back-to-back on consecutive pitches in the third innings to make it a 7-6 ballgame at the time.
Taylor went on to tie the game at eight in the fourth inning, thanks to a series of passed balls and wild pitches. However, from that point on, Huntington outscored the Trojans 12-2 to take game one by a final score of 20-10.
Taylor (15-9, 5-3) is set to return to the diamond on Thursday, March 17th, when the Trojans host conference-foe Bethel (9-15, 3-5) at 3:00 pm at Winterholter Field.