No. 18 Taylor Roars Past Cougars, Saturday’s Games Moved Up

SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The No. 18 Taylor baseball team (19-4, 10-0 CL) scored 35 runs in a pair of blowout victories, 22-2 and 13-2, Friday afternoon at Spring Arbor (12-7, 5-3). Winners of 14 straight – the program's longest streak since 2021 – TU went 12-for-19 (.632 average) at the plate with runners in scoring position in game one and blasted eight homers across the doubleheader.

Kaleb Kolpien headlined the lineup's performance with his fifth and sixth consecutive multi-hit games, driving in a team-high seven runs Friday. His four base knocks moved the senior's career total to 265, fifth all-time in program history.

Luke Sutter hit a grand slam in the third inning of the opener that lifted the Trojans past the run-rule threshold, up 12-0, and Parker Reinke brought the Purple and Grey to over 20 runs with a three-run homer – the first of his career – in the seventh inning.

Taylor's 20-run victory to begin the series was fueled by four separate innings of tallying at least four runs, including an eight-run second frame.

Spring Arbor never threatened to get back into the game against starting pitcher Gabel Pentecost (6-1), who threw five innings, struck out four and scattered four hits while picking up the 20th win of his career.

David Platt and Alec Hershberger each logged a scoreless inning in the opener, striking out two Cougars apiece.

Sutter, whose batting average stands at a lineup-best .444, had three hits and four RBIs to pace the offense, while Kolpien, Brayden Manning, Luke Picchiotti and Fletcher Roemmich all added two base knocks. Notably, Picchiotti homered in the at-bat following Sutter's grand slam, and Nate Simpson notched a triple late in the drubbing.

Brody Fine (2-1) took the ball in game two with the Trojans already ahead 2-0 courtesy of Kolpien's two-run homer in the top of the first.

Fine matched Pentecost's start of five innings, as SAU was left searching for answers offensively. The junior transfer kept opposing hitters off balance with six strikeouts and just two hits against while allowing no earned runs.

Despite Fine's effort, the Cougars tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth inning.

Manning homered to lead off the fifth frame, however, and the Trojans' power surge was on with home runs from Ben Kennedy, Mason David and Gladd in the sixth that gave TU a 9-2 advantage.

Kolpien and Gladd each produced run-scoring hits in the seventh inning to seal Taylor's doubleheader sweep, while Jared Crandall, Conner Miller and JJ Prendergast combined to keep SAU at two runs in the game.

No. 18 Taylor looks for a third consecutive series sweep in the Crossroads League when it stays in Spring Arbor on Saturday. First pitch for game one has been moved up to 11 a.m. due to forecast rain showers.