MARSHALL – Raven Baseball continued their conference schedule over the weekend with their second sweep in as many series, this time over the Missouri Valley College Vikings.
Benedictine scored 43 runs off 48 hits over the four-game series. On Saturday, they earned a pair of wins, 8-7 and 13-5, then on Sunday, they wrapped up the sweep with wins of 11-8 and 11-4. The Ravens finished the weekend with 12 home runs as a team with 8 doubles as they hit .366 as a team with a .702 slugging percentage.
Game 1: Benedictine 8, Missouri Valley 7
The Ravens scored six unanswered to overcome a 7-2 deficit in the opening game of the series. The Ravens took advantage of two errors by the Vikings in the top of the sixth to score their four runs and then added a Danny Favazza home run in the top of the seventh to seal the win.
Isaac Rudolph earned the win in relief of Ian O'Malley. Rudolph threw the final three innings, giving up one run off two hits with six strikeouts.
Jacob Pavlyak added a double and 3 RBI to go along with Favazza's home run and 3 RBI. Jacob Slaten and Hunter Moffet added 2 RBI each to round out the Ravens game at the plate.
Game 2: Benedictine 13, Missouri Valley 5
The Ravens collected their 13 runs off 13 hits in support of Andrew Baier on the hill. Baier went 6 innings, giving up 2 earned runs off 5 hits with 6 strikeouts to move to 3-3 on the season.
Five of Benedictine's 13 hits were home runs. Skyler Specht hit 2 home runs and finished with 3 RBI while Slaten, Moffet, Pavlyak, and Favazza all added home runs of their own. Moffet's home run was a grand slam in the second inning that put the Ravens up for good, 5-1. Favazza added a double as he and Slaten recorded 3 hits at the plate.
Game 3: Benedictine 11, Missouri Valley 8
A four-run seventh inning allowed the Ravens to earn their third win of the series after trailing 8-7 after 5 innings.
Nelson Klein earned the start on the hill and threw the first four and one-third innings for the Ravens. He finished with 2 strikeouts while giving up 5 runs off 9 hits. Slaten threw the final 2 innings, holding the Vikings to just a hit as he faced 8 batters to earn the win.
It was Moffet who recorded two home runs in the game-three win for the Ravens. He homered in the second inning for the Ravens first run of the game and then again in the fourth to help ignite a four-run rally that briefly tied the game at 5-5. Specht and Jackson Doherty added a home run each while Doherty went 3 for 4 with a double and team-high 4 RBI.
Game 4: Benedictine 11, Missouri Valley 4
A six-run third inning broke the game open for the Ravens and they never looked back as they earned their second sweep of the Heart schedule.
Luke Schmedding earned the start in the series finale. He held the Vikings to just 3 earned runs off 5 hits over four and one-third innings to earn the win.
Offensively, the Ravens continued to wrack up extra-base hits. Doherty and Moffet connected on a home run each while Specht, Slaten, and Favazza added a double each. Pavlyak finished with 2 doubles while Doherty accounted for 4 RBI with Moffet adding 3.
The Ravens remain on the road on Saturday and Sunday with a four-game Heart South series in Springfield, Mo., against Evangel University. First pitch both days is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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