TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Rose-Hulman fell to the Earlham Quakers by scores of 6-5 and 15-2 in their HCAC opening games.
 
Game One
Issei Takahashi started the game by making an impressive catch at the left field wall in the first inning. Liam Richardson would force three quick outs atop the second, which included a strikeout on a full count.
 
Earlham took an early 1-0 lead at the top of the third inning, following an RBI single to left center field.
 
Richardson would add three-up, three-down innings in both the fourth and fifth, where struck out three more batters, finishing with five strikeouts on the day.
 
Both Rasmussen brothers were walked in the bottom of the fifth to put two on for Rose-Hulman. With two outs, Takahashi hit a line drive single to left center field, where he recorded two RBIs as Mason and Noah Rasmussen scored.
 
The Quakers would be walked to lead off the sixth, and they would tie the game at 2-2 on a single to shortstop.
 
Early in the sixth inning, TJ Pipkins doubled towards the right field foul line, sliding into second to just beat out the throw. Jackson Harms added a single to first base, giving Rose-Hulman runners on the corner. With one out, Connor O'Connell hit a sacrifice fly to right field, where Pipkins' run gave Rose-Hulman a 3-2 lead.
 
Earlham singled through the right side to lead off the seventh, where they immediately stole second. The Quakers would then record back-to-back sacrifice bunts, where they tied the game at three.
 
With two outs in the seventh, Jackson Summers launched a stand-up line drive double to deep left field. Michael Hines would follow that up with the first home run of his collegiate career, which sailed over the left field wall to make it a 5-3 game.
 
With the bases loaded atop the eighth, Tyler Orr forced a groundout to third, keeping Rose-Hulman in the lead.
 
The Quakers recorded two singles in the ninth inning, with both hits going to the right side. With runners on first and second, Mitchell Roether hit a game-winning home run over the left field wall, as Earlham snuck by with a 6-5 win.
 
Game Two
The Quakers built on their momentum from their game one win to sweep the series by a score of 15-2 in game two.
 
Sam Erickson hit 2-2 in the game, where he scored runs in both the fifth and seventh innings.
 
Following a dominant game one performance, Hines continued to thrive as he recorded an RBI triple off the center field wall in the fifth inning.
 
Rose-Hulman will continue their season on the road, tomorrow against Berea. The double header will take place on Sunday, March 22 at 1 and 4 PM.