Trojans Grab Two Wins Behind Early Offensive Damage, Stellar Pitching

KOKOMO, Ind. – Forced to move to the turf fields of Championship Park in Kokomo, Ind., due to the excessive rain during the week, the No. 18 Taylor baseball team poured it on early and pitched well in a pair of six-run victories over Bethel on Friday afternoon.

A pair of walks drawn by Camden Knepp and Mason David helped get the scoring started in the first inning of the series opener when Sam Gladd later singled home the game's first run.

Two early defensive miscues from the Trojans' defense spelled trouble in the bottom of the opening frame, but Gabel Pentecost picked up two strikeouts while limiting the damage to one unearned run as the teams headed to the second inning tied 1-1.

With two down and nobody on base in the top of the second frame, TU rattled off six straight two-out hits that were highlighted by triples off the bats of Kaleb Kolpien and Gladd to take a commanding 6-1 lead in the blink of an eye.

That run support helped carry Pentecost (5-1) to a solid outing of five innings pitched with eight strikeouts against five hits and two runs allowed (one earned). The sophomore's appearance marked his 10th consecutive start to open the season with at least four innings pitched and no more than three runs allowed as he lowered his ERA to 2.45 on the season.

Jake Boyer took the torch from Pentecost and ran with it as he pitched an efficient, season-high four innings out of the bullpen allowing no walks and just one run. Boyer's save, the second of his season, was the first four-inning save for TU's pitching staff in 2024.

As the sophomore arms for Taylor held down the Bethel lineup, the Trojans added a run in the fourth, seventh and ninth innings to help seal their win. Brennan Frickel and Knepp recorded RBI-singles in the middle innings, and Rylee Singleton came off the bench and knocked his first career collegiate home run to conclude the scoring for TU in the 9-3 win.

Knepp and Manning kept TU's lineup churning in game one by recording three hits and a walk apiece, while Caruso also collected three hits to help key a 16-hit affair for Taylor in the opener.

In a nearly identical beginning to game one, leadoff walks from Knepp and Kolpien helped set up Gladd's sacrifice fly in the first inning that gave the Trojans a 1-0 lead.

The similarities then piled up with another five-run second inning for the visitors, with the Trojans this time taking advantage of a BU error to grab a 6-0 advantage.

Four run-producing plate appearances from Jacob Caruso, Knepp, Kolpien and Gladd caused the early damage, and starting pitcher Nick Crabtree nearly handled the rest from there.

Making his fourth start of the season, Crabtree (2-1) was lights-out in six innings as he scattered two hits while racking up seven strikeouts. The southpaw's scoreless appearance represented his fifth straight outing with at least six strikeouts as he joined Pentecost as TU's only pitchers with 50-plus strikeouts on the season. Crabtree's 2.02 ERA now also stands as the team's best.

Though the Trojan offense couldn't generate any more runs, reliever Wes Hunt ensured any extra run support was not needed in a tidy seventh inning that included a strikeout to secure the shutout victory.

18th-ranked Taylor (25-11, 18-4 CL) goes for its third CL-series sweep on Saturday at Bethel (9-23, 4-18). First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. at the Pilots' home field in Mishawaka, Indiana.