FOREST CITY, Iowa-- The 15th-ranked University of Jamestown baseball team took two of three games Thursday against Waldorf (Iowa) University. After losing 4-3 in the opener, the Jimmies won by scores of 5-2 and 5-3.
UJ improves to 31-5 overall and 8-4 in North Star Athletic Association conference play. The Warriors fall to 14-22 overall and 8-7 in the NSAA.
Riley MacDonald's double in the bottom of the seventh scored pinch-runner Garrett Munoz to give Waldorf a 4-3 victory in Thursday's first game.
Jimmy Quirk drove in Waldorf's first run with a second-inning single, then Jacob Tedesco singled home two more runs later in the inning to give the home team a 3-0 lead.
Pete Pennylegion (SR/Ferndale, WA) scored on a Heath Chapman balk in the top of the third for UJ's first run. The Jimmies tied the game in the top of the fourth on Tanner Roundy (JR/Henderson, NV)'s two-run single.
The scored stayed 3-3 until the seventh. Nestor Jimenez led off the inning with a single against Beau Rabedeaux (SR/Poulsbo, WA) (0-1), then was replaced by Munoz. MacDonald followed with a double to left-center for the winning run.
Jamestown managed just four hits in the game. Tyler Ludlow (SR/Port Orchard, WA) doubled, while Kory Wolden (SR/West Fargo, ND) and Quinn Irey (SR/Bismarck, ND) had singles.
UJ 5, Waldorf 3
Pinch-hitter Drake Pilat (JR/Winnipeg, MB, Canada)'s sixth-inning bases-clearing double gave Jamestown some breathing room in game two's 5-3 win.
Tyler Ludlow's first-inning single and third-innng ground out accounted for UJ's 2-1 lead as the Jimmies batted in the sixth.
Waldorf rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh against Chase Thometz (SR/Sandy, OR) (7-0) before Eric Evans (SR/Weyburn, SK, Canada) got the final two outs for his sixth save. Thometz worked 6 1/3 innings, scattering 10 hits. He walked nine and struck out two.
Ludlow was 3-for-4 to lead the Jimmie offense. Five other UJ hitters had base hits.
UJ 5, Waldorf 2
Quinn Irey's grand slam capped off a five-run fifth inning as Jamestown rallied from a 2-0 deficit to take the final game of the tripleheader 5-2.
Jaden Yackley (JR/Lynnwood, Wash.) doubled to lead off the inning, then Kory Wolden reached on a walk and pinch hitter Nick Wrigg (SO/Helena, MT) was hit by a pitch. With Zach Zurbrugg (JR/Bremerton, WA) at the plate, Mackenzie Pearson uncorked a wild pitch to allow Yackley to score. Zurbrugg walked to load the bases, and Irey followed with a blast over the left field fence, clearing the bases.
Shane Groth (JR/Prineville, OR) (4-1) went the distance for the Jimmies, striking out 10. He did not walk a batter and allowed two runs on six hits.
Irey was 2-for-2 at the plate. Tyler Ludlow, Scooter Turin (SR/Sandy, OR), and Tanner Roundy also had hits.
The teams were scheduled for a single nine-inning game on Friday to close out the series, but the threat of unfavorable weather forced its cancellation.
The Jimmies will play a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. on Tuesday against Presentation (S.D.) College at a site yet to be determined.
