![RV Trojans Flex Offensive Muscle in Sweep of Huntington](/images/2022-23/Baseball/Knepp_Huntington.jpg)
RV Trojans Flex Offensive Muscle in Sweep of Huntington
UPLAND, Ind. – The RV Taylor lineup flexed its offensive muscles yet again on Thursday afternoon, when the Trojans took each of the first two games in a significant mid-season series with Huntington (19-10, 13-5 CL).
Game one ended in a slugfest, which TU won by a final score of 15-11 TU before Matt Dutkowski felled the Forester attack in game two en route to a 4-2 winner.
Taylor hit a season-high total of eight home runs in its game one win over Huntington, one better than its seven-homer performance in a 27-5 win over Grace just two weeks ago. Six different Trojans contributed to the home run parade, though Camden Knepp and TJ Bass led the way with two apiece.
Knepp had a career day at the plate, totaling three home runs and six runs-batted-in by night's end. The TU third baseman's big day began with a home run to dead center to lead off the bottom of the first inning in game one, after Huntington had already plated four runs of its own in the top half of the first.
Huntington added a run right back in the second to make it a 5-1 game, though Bass would soon make his first of two trots around the bases. Senior catcher, Ben Kalbaugh, beat him to the punch however with a home run of his own with one out and nobody on.
Luke Picchiotti then followed with a hard-earned, hustle double to center field, which set the table for Ben Kennedy and Kaleb Kolpien to record their first hits of the day. With three runs already scored, Bass finally stepped up to the plate and unashamedly gave the Huntington starter nightmares with a home run that cleared the George Glass track-and-field fence beyond left.
The offensive action was just beginning, however, as the Crossroads League's two premier offensive lineups put on a show at Winterholter Field. Though Taylor brought a 6-5 lead into the top of the third, Huntington answered with two more runs in the third to snatch back a one-run lead.
Taylor then hit back with two more home runs in the bottom half of the inning, this time sparked by Trojan second baseman, Mason David, who hit his fifth home run of the season before Knepp smacked his second in just three innings of play.
Heading into the fourth inning, Taylor held a 10-7 lead and though Huntington would score two more in the fourth, the Trojans would hold on to secure victory in the game-one slugfest. A huge factor for Taylor along the way was closer, Jack Ross, who picked up his league-leading fifth win of the season while completing four innings of clutch pitching.
Ross (5-0) took over in the fifth inning and posted the first two zero's of the day onto the scoreboard in left-center field. The late-game specialist finished with five strikeouts, scattering three hits and allowing just one run as Taylor continued to score on the other end.
The home run bell rang again for the Trojans in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Kolpien smacked the fourth home run of his sophomore campaign to opposite field to bring himself and Knepp around to score.
Bass then contributed his second home run of the game in the eighth inning, this time more of a sheepish line drive out to left to cap the Trojan run production at 15.
All in all, the Trojans posted 15 runs on the board in game one, totaling 19 hits that included eight home runs and a pair of doubles.
While Ross picked up his fifth win of the season, Jared Crandall earned his fourth save by entering the game in the ninth inning with the bases loaded and the tying run on-deck. After allowing one inherited runner to score on a hit-by-pitch, Crandall settled in to retire the next three Foresters batters and secure game one by a final score of 15-11.
Dutkowski (3-2) then stole the show in game two by racking up a career-best 11 strikeouts, a performance that came after he had matched a previous career-best with nine in his last outing against Mount Vernon Nazarene.
The junior righty did not allow a hit until the fourth inning and kept the potent Forester lineup to just two hits heading into the seventh inning. Along the way, Dutkowski posted four one-two-three innings while striking out at least one batter in each of his seven innings of work.
Meanwhile, Knepp offered the pivotal at-bat for the Trojans on the offensive side of the game with a three-run home run in the bottom of the second inning.
Six different Trojans recorded a hit in game two, though none posted two or more. Even so, the TU leadoff man offered Dutkowski all the run support he would need as the Trojans completed their sweep of Huntington with a 4-2 game-two winner.
RV Taylor (23-9, 16-2 CL) and Huntington (19-10, 13-5 CL) are scheduled to complete their four-game series with a doubleheader tomorrow, Friday March 31, with first pitch slated for 12:00 pm.