TERRE HAUTE, IND. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology moved to 6-0 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball action by sweeping Hanover College 5-3 and 11-5 at Art Nehf Field on Sunday afternoon.
The Fightin' Engineers retained first place in the HCAC standings with their eighth consecutive win. Rose-Hulman also swept a three-game home series for the second consecutive weekend.
In the opener, Rose-Hulman scored twice in the second inning and three times in the sixth to secure a 5-3 victory.
Sophomore Kody Alayon (Hammond, Ind./Bishop Noll), junior Josh Hoeing (Rushville, Ind.) and sophomore Warren Whithaus (Robinson, Ill.) led the game one Rose-Hulman offensive effort with two hits each. Alayon smashed a two-RBI double and added an RBI single, while Hoeing scored twice for the Engineers.
Rose-Hulman scored twice in the second inning on singles by senior Andrew Benitez (Mililani, Hawaii), Hoeing, Whithaus and Alayon. In the sixth, the Engineers relied on a single by Hoeing, a walk to Whithaus and Alayon's double for two runs. Alayon capped the rally by scoring on a throwing error after stealing third base.
Junior R.J. Carroll (Lexington, Ky./Catholic) tossed 6.2 strong innings to earn the win. Carroll allowed five hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Sophomore Alec McNally (Geneva, Ill./Wheaton Academy) came in with the bases loaded in a 5-3 game in the eighth, before recording four outs to secure his fifth save this season.
In the nightcap, Rose-Hulman scored four times in the third and fourth innings to turn a 2-0 deficit into an 8-2 lead and secure the victory. Freshman Zach Trusk (Plainfield, Ill./North) had three hits and scored twice to lead the offensive effort.
Other Engineers with multiple hits included Alayon with two singles and two RBIs; senior Hank Akard (Indianapolis/Ben Davis) with two hits, three runs scored, two RBIs and two stolen bases; and sophomore Caleb Kissel (Plainfield, Ill./North) with two singles and two RBIs.
The four-run third inning featured singles by Trusk and Alayon, then an RBI double by Akard. Kissel put the Engineers ahead 3-2 with a single, before an RBI ground out capped the rally.
In the fourth, Rose-Hulman relied on singles by Trusk, Whithaus, Akard, Benitez, and sophomore Donnie Waters (Franklin, Ind.) to earn an 8-2 advantage.
Sophomore Karson Nixon (Jasper, Ind.) tossed six solid innings to move to 2-0 on the season. Nixon pitched around 11 hits by not allowing a walk, recording three strikeouts, and have the defense turn four double plays in the game. Sophomore Daniel Sutherland (Centennial, Colo./Regis Jesuit) added two scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Rose-Hulman improved to 11-4 overall and 6-0 in HCAC play, while Hanover stands 6-10 and 2-4 in conference games. The Fightin' Engineers return to action at home against Franklin College on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
