Pride offense picks up in big way to open series against Peru State

PERU, Neb. - Coming into the weekend winners in four of their last five games, the Clarke University baseball team continued playing quality baseball with a pair of wins over Peru State College on Saturday afternoon by scores of 6-2 and 14-5.

The 20 runs over two games is the most runs they scored in a day since Feb. 11 when they scored 19 against Wayland Baptist and six against University of Science and Arts at the Cajun Collision in Louisiana.

The opener saw six different members of the Pride drive in runs that included Kainoa Torres, Victor Lara, Thomas Brannon, Daniel Phyle, Paul Von Zboray, and Jose Perez as Torres and Von Zboray finished game two with four RBIs apiece while Phyle and Maguire Fitzgerald both had a pair of RBIs.

CU hit three home runs over the 14 innings including a solo shot from Torres to lead off the scoring in the third inning of the first game of the day while Von Zboray and Fitzgerald both hit two-run shots in the second game to help extend leads for the Pride at the time.

Even with the offense coming through, Clarke wasn't without its strong pitching performances as both starting pitchers put up solid starts including yet another complete game from Isaac Rohde as he picked up his sixth win of the season, going all seven innings of game one to allow two runs on five hits with three walks as he struck out seven batters.

Greg Bennett picked up his second-straight win, this time in a starting role in game two as he went five shutout innings while allowing four hits, striking out two batters, and allowing only one walk.

The Pride and Bobcats will head into Sunday's finale doubleheader with Clarke looking for their third-straight Heart series win as they'll head into that game with Tyson Tucker and Johnny Blake slated to take to the mound as the starting pitchers for CU.