Late Scoring Lifts Baseball in Game Two at Hastings

HASTINGS, Neb. – The Doane baseball team used a late offensive surge to pull away from Hastings, scoring four runs in the eighth inning to secure a 10-6 GPAC victory on Saturday.

The Tigers (33-8, 18-4 GPAC) piled up 14 hits in the contest and saw multiple players deliver key performances at the plate in a back-and-forth matchup.

Doane wasted no time jumping ahead, as Carter Roth opened the scoring with a solo home run to leadoff the first inning. The Tigers added another run later in the frame and extended the lead to 4-0 in the second behind a two-RBI single from Grant Sommers.

Hastings responded by chipping away, scoring once in the second and plating three runs in the fourth to cut the deficit to 5-4. The Broncos eventually tied the game at 5-5 in the fifth inning and again evened things up at 6-6 in the seventh.

The decisive moment came in the eighth inning when the Tigers broke the tie. Jordan Bond delivered a two-run double to give Doane the lead, and Johnny Vulcano followed with a two-run single to push the advantage to 10-6.

Offensively, Roth led the way with three hits, including a home run and two doubles, while driving in two runs. Sommers also collected three hits and drove in two, and Bond added a pair of hits and two RBIs. Vulcano contributed two hits and two RBIs, while Jett Grossart finished with two hits and drove in a run.

On the mound, Ethan Merk earned the win in relief, tossing three scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and striking out three. Starter Riley Plummer went six innings, allowing five runs on seven hits while striking out four. 

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