Gladd’s Slam Helps Sink Pilots in Series Sweep

MISHAWAKA, Ind. – A grand slam from Sam Gladd sunk the Pilots' ship in a comeback victory in Saturday's opener, and the 18th-ranked Taylor baseball team carried momentum over to a convincing 10-4 win in the series finale at Bethel (9-25, 4-20 CL) to earn its third Crossroads League series sweep of the season. TU (27-11, 20-4) won all four games of the series by at least six runs and became the first CL team to 20 league wins on the season.

The Trojans found themselves trailing 4-3 heading into the eighth inning of game three of the series before three walks and a wild pitch sandwiched a base hit by Camden Knepp that led to a bases-loaded, nobody-out situation with a newly tied 4-4 ballgame.

Brayden Manning then singled for an RBI to left field, where a misplayed ball allowed the slugger to reach third and the bases to clear to make it 7-4. The sophomore then almost instantly scored on a balk as TU doubled up Bethel, 8-4.

Unfortunately for the Pilots, the inning was just starting as Brennan Frickel and Luke Sutter reached base to set up Fletcher Roemmich's run-scoring single. Knepp and Mason David then walked to bring another run home as the score ballooned to 10-4.

Facing BU's third pitcher of the inning, Gladd dashed any hope that remained for Bethel with a grand slam that hugged the foul pole in right field and made it 14-4. The first baseman's dinger raised his home run total a team-leading six, and it marked the 30th RBI of his season.

Dalton Swinehart, who pitched the final two innings of Saturday's opener and earned the win, ended the game early with a shutdown eighth inning to secure the come-from-behind, run-rule victory. Swinehart (3-3) allowed just one hit and struck out two Pilots in his relief appearance.

Earlier in the day, Luke Picchiotti singled home a run, and Manning helped TU claw back from a 4-1 deficit in the fourth frame with a two-run shot that brought the Trojans within one.

Right-handed pitchers Gage Gongwer and Jack Ross were nails out of the bullpen to make a comeback attempt possible. The duo combined to pitch 4.2 scoreless innings while they racked up five total strikeouts.

Fresh off the 11-run eighth inning in the first game of the day, the first seven men Taylor sent to the plate in the nightcap all reached base as the Trojans took a 6-0 lead.

Gladd and Manning both singled in runs to start the scoring, Roemmich added on with a two-run double, and Picchiotti and Knepp both plated runs in their plate appearances to account for the early crooked number.

Starting pitcher Alec Holcomb (6-2) allowed runs in each of the first two innings, but the senior settled in to record five strikeouts in five innings, giving up just three runs (two earned). His performance was good enough to earn his team-leading sixth win of the season.

TU added two runs in the third inning with a two-run single from Knepp, and it extended its lead to 10-4 in the seventh on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly from Jacob Caruso.

Nathan Frady, David Platt and Wes Hunt all pitched relatively effectively to close out the six-run victory and complete the series sweep.

Ben Kennedy reached base in all four of his plate appearances in the series finale, while Knepp and Roemmich both notched two hits and tallied a combined five RBIs and four runs scored.

Across the doubleheader, Gladd and Manning led the way with five and four runs batted in, respectively.

No. 18 TU returns home on April 12 to begin a series that carries massive Crossroads League standings implications against its cross-county rival, Indiana Wesleyan (25-9, 19-5 CL). First pitch of Friday's doubleheader is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Winterholter Field.