![No. 18 Taylor Completes Four-Game Sweep of Grace](/images/2020-21/Baseball/bb_action21_rusche_grace1.jpg)
No. 18 Taylor Completes Four-Game Sweep of Grace
UPLAND, Ind. – No. 18 Taylor (28-9, 17-3 CL), behind a furious rally in game one and sparkling relief pitching in game two, remained undefeated at Winterholter Field, finishing of its series with Grace (9-20, 6-14 CL) with two more victories. The Trojans, facing an 8-3 deficit in the opener, rattled off 19 unanswered runs in the final four innings en route to a 22-8 triumph, before stout pitching by Tucker Waddups and Mitch Ubelhor in the nightcap resulted in a 4-2 win.
Along with improving to 16-0 at home, the Trojans have won 34 of their last 35 contests against the Lancers. Additionally, the Trojans improved to 28-1 against Grace at Winterholter Field and 45-3 against the Lancers under Head Coach Kyle Gould since 2005.
Nick Rusche led the Taylor offense in game one, finishing 3-for-7 with three runs scored, a grand slam, and six runs batted in. TJ Bass, Conner Crawford, and Jacob Morris combined for five hits and nine RBI in the Trojans' 22-run explosion, while Kade Vander Molen and Camden Knepp each collected three knocks and two RBI in the contest.
Grace took a 1-0 lead after the first frame, but Morris responded for the Trojans in the top of the second, crushing a three-run shot to center field, his third home of the season, to give Taylor a 3-1 lead.
The Lancers answered back, plating six runs in the bottom of the second and a single run in the fourth to turn their two-run deficit into a five-run lead.
The Trojans, however, were not daunted, using a nine-run sixth inning to take the lead back for good.
Crawford opened the scoring on a Grace error, and Knepp followed with an RBI single, plating Brett Lawson. A Rusche RBI single and a Bass two-run double later in the frame tied the contest at 8-8, before a three-run bomb from Crawford, his fifth of the 2021 campaign, broke the tie, giving the Trojans an 11-8 advantage. Knepp capped off the inning with another RBI single, increasing Taylor's lead to 12-8.
The Trojans added 10 more runs in the top of the ninth to seal the deal, highlighted by Rusche's grand slam and a two-run double from Vander Molen.
Matt Dutkowski (4-2) earned his fourth win of the season in relief, allowing just one hit in 3.2 innings of work. He, together with Ubelhor and Drew Henrickson, pitched brilliantly in the final 5.2 innings, combining to give up just two hits and three walks while striking out 17.
Taylor grabbed the early advantage in the nightcap, taking a 3-0 lead after the first two innings of play. Crawford plated Rusche and Jonathan Foster with a two-run double in the first frame, before Joe Moran singled home Rusche in the second for the three-run advantage.
The Lancers, however, pressured the Trojans in each of the following two inning, loading the bases in both, but Taylor limited the damage to just two runs. Luke Shively notched a strikeout with runners on first and second with two out in the third, before Waddups masterfully worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the fourth. With the bases full, Waddups induced a groundout that led to a 4-6-3 double play between Vander Molen, Rusche, and Moran, before punching out the final Grace batter of the frame to leave a runner stranded at third.
The Trojans were not threatened after that, as Waddups (1-0) and Ubelhor combined to allow only two hits and one walk while striking out six in four innings of work.
Offensively, Rusche and Moran both finished 2-for-4 at the dish, while Crawford, Bass, Foster, and Ben Kalbaugh each added one hit.
The Trojans will travel across Grant County this weekend to face longtime rival No. 23 Indiana Wesleyan (29-10, 18-2 CL). The first two games will be played on Friday with first pitch scheduled for 3:00 pm.