After opening up their series in Peosta, Iowa, on Thursday with an extra-inning win, Raven Baseball earned the series win over Clarke University on Saturday with a doubleheader split back on Laughlin Field at Olsen Stadium.
While it was nice for the Ravens to add a bonus series at Olsen Stadium, Benedictine served as the guest on the scoreboard in both games on Saturday as they fell 2-1 in the opener before rallying for an 8-4 win in game two Saturday to take the series over the Pride.
It took 10 innings to decide the series opener on Thursday as the Ravens scored the go-ahead run on a double off the bat of Hunter Moffet.
Clarke scored two runs through the first three innings of play before the Ravens scored their first two runs through the next three innings. Benedictine's runs came off a home run by Jacob Slaten in the fourth and a single from Jack Harpole in the sixth.
Blake Paterson earned the win in relief of Andrew Baier. Baier went 4 innings, giving up 2 runs off 3 hits before Paterson finished off the next 6 innings holding Clarke to just one hit. Both pitchers finished their outings with 7 strikeouts.
As the series moved to Atchison on Saturday, Nelson Klein took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Clarke was able to pick up their first hit. Klein gave up 3 hits and was relieved in the fifth by Matt Piontek who suffered the loss after going an inning and one-third.
Moffet, Jacob Pavlyak, and Jackson Doherty recorded doubles at the plate with Moffet going 3 for 3 with the lone RBI.
Clarke scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to earn the win.
In the series finale, each team used four pitchers to get through the 7-inning game. Luke Schmedding earned the start for the Ravens and gave up 2 earned runs off 3 hits before he was relieved by Dominic Susanka. Susanka went the next 3 innings, holding the Pride to just 3 hits to give Benedictine a chance to get going at the plate.
Tate Garcia followed Susanka and went 2 and two-thirds innings to earn his first win of the season. He gave up an earned run off 2 hits before Issac Rudolph closed out the seventh inning for his first career save.
Moffet and Harpole combined to drive in 3 runs in the third inning to pull the game to a 3-3 tie. A wild pitch allowed Drew Piontek to score the first run in the sixth inning. Ashton Neuman scored on an error by the Pride catcher and Jaden Zimmerman drove in Doherty to give the Ravens a three-run lead.
Benedictine added two more insurance runs in the seventh on a two-run home run off the bat of Moffet to put the Ravens in position for the series win over the Pride.
The Ravens return to the road on April 22 and 23 as they travel to Olathe to meet up with Heart North leader MNU. The Pioneers took three of four over No. 9 Central Methodist University on Friday and Saturday.
