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SATURDAY LIVE STATS: GAME 1 / GAME 2
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RICHMOND, Ind. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology relied on a grand slam by senior Donnie Waters and timely hitting to defeat Earlham College 8-7 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball regular season opener on Friday.
Waters blasted a grand slam in the fourth inning to give Rose-Hulman a 4-0 lead. With the score tied 7-7 in the top of the seventh, Waters drove home the eventual game winning run with a fielder's choice to give the Fightin' Engineers an 8-7 lead.
Senior Patrick Klima added two hits, including a double, with two runs scored to contribute to the eight-hit attack. Junior Drew Schnitz and senior Hazen Hamather each added two singles with one run scored.
Senior Karson Nixon improved to 2-0 on the season by pitching six innings and earning the win. Nixon struck out three and battled an Earlham team that started the season with a 10-2 record to keep the Fightin' Engineers in the game.
Sophomore Joey Callahan tossed two scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth, before junior Cody Sunderhaus recorded the final three outs with two strikeouts for his second save.
Nate Lynch and Joe Pipher led the Earlham offense with three hits and two RBIs each. Ethan Bailey and Matt Barger contributed two hits each for the Quakers.
Rose-Hulman stands 8-4 on the season and 1-0 in conference play, while Earlham has a mark of 10-3 and is 1-1 in league games. The Fightin' Engineers and Quakers conclude their three-game series with a doubleheader on Saturday at noon.
