Vantiger's late go-ahead hit produces a Pride win in a doubleheader split at Doane
CRETE, Neb. - Quickly getting back on the road following a pair of doubleheaders this past Monday and Tuesday, the Clarke University baseball team split their series-opening doubleheader against Doane University on Saturday afternoon.
The Pride took the win in the opener 3-2 behind a strong pitching performance from Dante Maietta as the senior right hander would throw his first complete game of the season striking out five batters while allowing six hits and two walks for his fourth win of the 2025 campaign.
Even with that performance from Maietta, Clarke would trail 2-0 after three innings as the Tigers would produce a pair of RBI ground outs in each of the second and third innings as a triple got DU in scoring position in the second then a little manufacturing created the run in the third after a one-out single.
CU would cut the Doane lead in half on a Bryn Vantiger RBI ground ball where he would reach on an error but that would be all the Pride would score in the inning as they would eventually head to the seventh needing a run to stay alive.
Starting the top of the seventh with a Cole Swartz leadoff walk, Darin Eales would single advancing Swartz to third as the game would be tied on a passed ball that would also put Eales at second base as the go-ahead run.
Vantiger would step to the plate once again with an RBI opportunity and deliver with a single to right center field to give Clarke their first lead of the day as the job still wasn't done, needing three more outs from Maietta.
That bottom of the seventh inning would get off to an exciting start for the home team with a leadoff double but Maietta would force a ground ball back to the mound for the first out, a fly out to center advancing the runner to third for the second out, then striking out the final batter of the game looking to seal the win.
That win would produce the 200th career win for Pride head coach Brian McCabe as he earned 175 wins as the head coach at Benedictine University Mesa before returning to his alma mater, reaching 25 wins early in his second season.
The finale would be a reversal of roles in a 3-1 win for Doane as this time the Pride would take the lead in the top of the first as Jaxon Brooks drove in Alex Reynozo with a ground out after Reynozo reached on a one-out double and advanced to third on a passed ball.
The Tigers would score twice in the bottom of the second off of CU's Christian Prull with their own RBI ground out before taking the lead on an RBI double by the very next batter.
Clarke would be kept off the board for the rest of the game as Doane would go away from starting pitcher Isaiah Miller after just an inning of work and turn to Raidyn Steele, who would throw six shutout innings allowing just two hits and striking out two batters, matching the effort of DU's game one starter Kaden Crawford who also went six innings allowing just one hit and striking out five for a no decision.
Prull put produce a solid start of 5.2 innings pitched allowing three earned runs on six hits with just one walk and striking out four batters but couldn't get any more run support after the first inning.
Clarke and Doane will finish off the four game series on Sunday when they start their finale doubleheader at a scheduled 12:00 p.m. CT first pitch between the Tigers and Pride.