Bullingham powers No. 14 NIACC to sweep of Southwestern
By The Globe Gazette staff
CRESTON — Troy Bullingham homered three times Saturday as No. 14 NIACC swept Southwestern in a pair of ICCAC games. The Trojans took the opener 13-3 in six innings and won the nightcap 11-2.
Bullingham blasted two home runs and drove in five runs in Game 1 and homered, doubled, singled and drove in three in Game 2.
"He's just got a good approach at the plate, he was getting pitches he could handle and was putting the barrel on them," NIACC coach Travis Hergert said. "When we have runners on, he's the guy we want at the plate."
Malique Ziegler went deep twice in the nightcap and Connor Enochs had one in the opener.
NIACC also recived solid outings from its starting pitchers. Dan Loats struck out eight batters and picked up the win in Game 1 and Derek Lieurance struck out a season-high 10 and allowed no earned runs in five innings to get the win in Game 2.
"They just attacked the strike zone all day long, made quality pitches all day long, attacked the zone all day and never let Southwestern into the ball game," Hergert said.
NIACC (23-11, 10-4) will go for the series sweep at Southwestern today.
NIACC 13, SOUTHWESTERN 3 (6)
NIACC 124 321 – 13 10 3
Southwestern 100 020 – 3 4 1
Dan Loats (8K, 3BB) and Blake Whitecotton. HR – Troy Bullingham (N) 2, Connor Enochs (N). 2B – Spencer Halloran (N), Whitecotton. Multiple hits – Bullingham 3, Enochs 2. Multiple RBIs – Bullingham 5, Whitecotton 2.
NIACC 11, SOUTHWESTERN 2 (7)
NIACC 015 121 1 – 11 11 0
Southwestern 000 100 1 – 2 2 2
Derek Lieurance (10K, 0BB), Kellen Reed (6) (3K, 3BB) and Whitecotton. HR – Malique Ziegler (N) 2, Bullingham. 2B – Halloran, Bullingham, Jonathan Cruz (N). Multiple hits – Bullingham 3, Ziegler 2, Enochs 2. Multiple RBIs – Bullingham 3, Ziegler 2, Whitecotton 2, Cruz 2.
