KOKOMO, Ind. -- The 2022 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology baseball season came to an end with a remarkable Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament run that reached the championship round before a 10-9 loss to Earlham College on Saturday night at Kokomo Municipal Stadium.
Rose-Hulman eliminated Anderson and Hanover on Friday, before eliminating Franklin on Saturday to reach the HCAC Tournament Championship Round. The Fightin' Engineers came one team shy of eliminating the entire field after falling on opening day and reaching the final with three consecutive wins.
The final day began with a 13-8 victory over top-seeded Franklin College, before the Fightin' Engineers rallied from a 9-5 deficit to close within 10-9 in their fourth elimination game in a 36-hour period.
In the opener, Brett Tuttle and Manuel Lopez led a 15-hit attack with four hits each. Tuttle had a triple, three singles, two runs scored and one RBI. Lopez scored three runs, had four singles and added two RBIs.
Andy Krajecki added three hits, including a triple, with three RBIs and one run scored. Adam Taylor contributed two RBIs to the offensive effort.
Paul Durell came out of the bullpen to pitch four innings and pick up the win. Michael Yager tossed the final four innings with four strikeouts and no runs allowed to earn his first save.
In the nightcap, the Fightin' Engineers battled back and had runners on first and second with two outs in the ninth down 10-9 before a ground out ended the contest.
Drew Roberts led the offense with a 3-for-3 performance that included three singles, three runs scored and one RBI. Brett Tuttle and Colter Couillard-Rodak also had two hits each, with Tuttle contributing three RBIs and Couillard-Rodak adding two. Kade Kline and Harrison Finch also scored twice for the balanced offensive effort.
Following the tournament, Couillard-Rodak, Krajecki and Tuttle were named to the 2022 all-HCAC Tournament Team. Rose-Hulman completed its first season under head coach Adam Rosen with a 28-13 record and a runner-up finish in the conference tournament and HCAC regular season standings.
GAME 1: ROSE-HULMAN 13, FRANKLIN 8
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Engineers got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the bottom of the first inning.
The Engineers lost the lead they built in the first, but got back on the board in the second trailing 6-3. The Rose-Hulman offense exploded for four runs, highlighted by a one-run flyout off the bat of Lopez, which brought the score to 7-6 in favor of the Engineers.
Rose-Hulman kept Franklin without a run before expanding their lead to 9-6 the following inning. The Engineers scored two runs in the frame, the important hit being an RBI double from sophomore C. Couillard-Rodak.
The Grizzlies gained ground, closing the gap to 9-7 until Rose-Hulman added some insurance in the sixth. The three-run fram for the Engineers was puncuated by a two-run triple from Krajecki. bringing the Rose-Hulman advantage to 12-7.
Franklin got within 12-8 until the Engineers scored again in the eighth inning to stretch its lead to 13-8. Lopez came across to score the lone run of the inning for Rose-Hulman and get them on the board. The score remained 13-8 for the rest of the game, as the Engineers coasted to the win.
GAME NOTES
» Rose-Hulman got four-hit games from both Lopez and Tuttle.
» Rose-Hulman's highest scoring inning was the second, when it pushed four runs across.
» The Engineers had control of the rest of the game after moving ahead of the Grizzlies 7-6 in the bottom of the second.
» The Engineers had a total of 15 hits.
» The Engineers out-hit the Grizzlies at a 15-3 clip.
» Rose-Hulman went 8-for-20 (.400) with runners in scoring position.
» Rose-Hulman pitchers faced 41 Franklin hitters in the game, allowing five ground balls and 16 fly balls while striking out six.
» The Engineers drew four walks from Franklin pitching.
» Krajecki led the Engineers at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBI.
» Franklin was led offensively by Sean Sullivan, who went 1-for-4 with a triple and two RBI.
» Alex Reinoehl led the Grizzlies pitching staff, throwing two innings of one-run ball.
GAME 2 - EARLHAM 10, ROSE-HULMAN 9
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Engineers lost despite scoring in six different innings in the ballgame. Rose-Hulman's biggest output came in its three-run second inning.
GAME NOTES
» Roberts led the Engineers, compiling three base hits in the ballgame.
» Rose-Hulman's highest scoring inning was the second, when it pushed three runs across.
» Rose-Hulman left 12 runners stranded on base in the loss.
» The Engineers out-hit the Quakers at an 11-10 clip.
» Rose-Hulman pitchers faced 52 Earlham hitters in the game, allowing four ground balls and 15 fly balls while striking out nine.
» The Engineers drew 10 walks from Earlham pitching.
» Tuttle led the Engineers at the plate, going 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI.
» Earlham was led offensively by Easton Embry, who went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI.
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