NIACC baseball team sweeps Kirkwood
By The Globe Gazette staff
CEDAR RAPIDS — The NIACC baseball team collected 27 hits as the Trojans swept a doubleheader against Kirkwood on Saturday, winning the opener 8-1 and the nightcap 16-5.
In the opener, NIACC's Dan Loats (6-1) allowed three hits in seven innings with 12 strikeouts on the mound for the Trojans (20-8, 7-3).
"Dan really did a nice job locking it down all game long," NIACC coach Travis Hergert said.
Loats picked up his 10th career win, which is tied for fifth on NIACC's career win list. He also is tied for fifth on the school's career strikeout list with 103. Loats has 47 strikeouts and 18 walks this season with a 3.09 earned run average.
Meanwhile, Austin LaDoux homered and drove in three runs while Troy Bullingham knocked in two runs.
LaDoux became NIACC's career home run leader with 21 passing Anthony Alberts, who played from 2004-05 and now ranks second on the school's all-time career list with 20. LaDoux hit 12 home runs in 2015 and has nine this season.
In the nightcap, Brandon Michie – who had two hits in the opener – finished with four hits and six RBIs.
Michie hit a grand slam and added two doubles and a single as the Trojans collected 17 hits.
"Brandon was the best player on the field," Hergert said. "He had a great day. I thought our guys, up and down the lineup, stuck with it. We struggled early but by the middle of the second game we really picked it up and that gave us a nice cushion."
Malique Ziegler had three hits as did Bullingham while Blake Whitecotton and Jonathan Cruz added two hits apiece and Connor Enochs drove in three.
On the mound, Derek Lieurance (5-0) struck out seven in five innings, allowing two unearned runs.
"Derek did a nice job throwing some zeroes up on the board for us," said Hergert, whose team wraps up the 4-game series against the Eagles with a doubleheader today.
NIACC 8, KIRKWOOD 1
NIACC 000 004 4 – 8 10 0
Kirkwood 000 001 0 – 1 3 1
Dan Loats (12K, 4BB) and Blake Whitecotton. Nick Drahozal (12K, 2BB, 1HBP), Zach Morrissey (6) (1K, 0BB), Nolan Even (7) (0K, 1BB) and JT Sole. W – Loats. L – Drahozal. HR – Austin LaDoux (N). 2B – Whitecotton, Brandon Michie (N). Multiple hits – Troy Bullingham (N) 2, Michie 2. Multiple RBIs – LaDoux 3, Bullingham 2.
NIACC 16, KIRKWOOD 5
NIACC 105 300 007 – 16 17 4
Kirkwood 000 022 100 – 5 6 0
Derek Lieurance (7K, 4BB, 1HBP), Matt Hudson (6) (3K, 2BB), Kellen Reed (9) (1K, 0BB) and Whitecotton. Ethan Howard (2K, 3BB, 1HBP), Emanuel Castellano (4) (3K, 3BB), Mike Eberhart (9) (0K, 2BB), Brock Adams (9) (0K, 0BB), Ben Milks (9) (1K, 2BB) and Sole. W – Lieurance. L – Howard. HR – Michie, Matt Paciello (K). 2B – Michie 2, Bullingham 2, Connor Enochs (N). Multiple hits – Michie 4, Malique Ziegler (N) 3, Bullingham 3, Robbie Glendinning (N) 2, Whitecotton 2, Jonathan Cruz (N) 2, Bryce Grimm (K) 3. Multiple RBIs – Michie 6, Enochs 3.
