After two disappointing losses on Friday, The Park University Gilbert baseball team (9-18, 6-6) came out swinging today to take the final two games over La Sierra University (9-16, 4-8) in the series in Riverside, Calif. The Bucs won the final conference contest 12-3 to salvage a win and avoid a conference sweep and then took the final non-conference game 4-3.
Game 1 – Park Gilbert 12, La Sierra 3
The Bucs posted 10 runs in the first three innings and then used six strong innings from No. 1 starter Aaron de Groot to cruise to a 12-3 win in the first game of the day.
Park Gilbert opened things by putting up two runs in the first on an error on an errant throw and an Austin Chouinard RBI single. But it was the second inning where the Bucs broke the game open.
An RBI single by Aaron Stinnett and two three-run homers by Alex Stinnett (2nd of the year) and Travs Moore (1st career home run) fueled a seven-run inning and broke the game wide open to give the Buccaneers a 9-0 lead.
Park would tack on solo runs in the third (DJ Downen Sac Fly), fifth (Chouinard homer) and seventh (Chouinard double) to finish out the scoring for the game for the Buccaneers.
Yesterday, the Bucs put up 15 runs and had the lead late but could not hold down the LSU bats. Today it was no problem, as de Groot continued his dominance on the mount against La Sierra. In his previous two starts against the Eagles, de Groot was 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA with 25 strikeouts and only five hits in 13.1 innings. He continued his winning ways today going six innings, allowing three runs, and striking out eight. The AA-team of Aaron Lizarraga (2 IP) and Aaron Gutierrez (1 IP) closed things out with three innings of scoreless relief.
At the plate, the top three sports in the Buccaneer lineup did most of the damage as Aaron Stinnett (3H, 3 RS, 1 RBI), Alex Stinnett (2H, 1 RS, 3 RBI) and Chouinard (3H, 1 RS, 3 RBI) all had a multi-hit game. Moore, who is back in the lineup after missing a month with an injury, hit his first career collegiate home run and stole a base.
Game 2 – Park Gilbert 4, La Sierra 2
Two runs in the top of the sixth lifted the Bucs to a 4-3 win over the Eagles in the seven inning non-conference finale over La Sierra
After falling behind 1-0 in the first, the Buccaneers responded in the top of the second with a run on a Lizarraga ground out.
The Bucs needed to comeback two more times, once in the fifth, down 2-1, Aaron Stinnett singled home Moore who had been hit by a pitch and stole second. Then again in the sixth, down 3-2, Lizarraga drove in his second run of the game with a single to score Cade Maestas who was running for Downen who had led off the inning with a single. Then after loading the bases, Lizarraga scored the go ahead run on a wild pitch.
Gutierrez came on in the seventh to close things out for his third save of the season. Gutierrez still has not allowed an earned run this season and sports a 0.00 ERA.
Matthew Medina (2-2) picks up the win in relief as he was the pitcher of record when the Bucs took the lead. Logan White started and threw two innings allowing one run on two hits with two strike outs. Matthew Armendariz relieved him for two innings, where he allowed one run on two hits. Chase Provencio threw a scoreless sixth to set things up for Gutierrez in the seventh.
At the plate, Moore went 2-2 with two hit by pitches and a run scored. Aaron Stinnett also had two hits and an RBI while Lizarraga went 1-3 with two RBI and a run scored.
Up next for the Bucs is another non-conference game at Ottawa (Ariz.) on Tuesday before hosting Antelope Valley for a three-game conference set on Friday and Saturday April 1 and 2 next weekend.
