The 2005 version of the DCTC Blue Knights baseball team showed power and potent pitching in the final doubleheader of the team’s Florida road trip March 19 against Lakeland Community College (Ohio).
Lakeland, described by DCTC Head Coach Tim Huber as a “tough Division II squad,” could not keep up with the Blue Knights’ bats during the first game of the day, losing to 7-4 to the scrappy DCTC squad.
In that first match-up, the Blue Knights jumped out to an early lead in the first on a triple by Alex Smith and an RBI groundout from Alex Miller. In the second inning, Jason Gergen knocked a triple to drive in Steve Kleppen, who had been walked in the previous series.
The Knights scored four more times in the contest, managing to hold off a late Lakeland rally in the seventh and final inning. Smith led the hitting attack collecting three of the team’s nine hits, while Nate Jackson and Gergen chipped in two hits each. Mike Spurling (1-1) pitched a gem for the first six innings, holding a potent Lakeland lineup to a single run on four hits through the sixth inning, and striking out five for the day.
Lakeland came out swinging in the second game, defeating the Knights by a 12-2 margin. Highlights for DCTC included Tony Rome coming on in relief of starter Ryan Van Dusen to pitch three solid innings and fan four Lakeland batters. The Knights’ Charles Stene came in to get two hits off the bench, including a two-run RBI single.
Summing up the Florida trip, Coach Huber said he was pleased both wins in the Blue Knights’ 2-3-1 campaign came against quality Division II teams. “I was very happy with the week as a whole,” Huber said. “We realize we have some things to work on but got a couple wins under our belts against some good competition. A couple hits in key situations and we could have ended up 4-2.”
Other Blue Knights notes:
- Alex Smith led the team with seven hits for a .389 average.
- Ryan Van Dusen had five hits, compiling a .417 average.
- Nate Jackson also had five hits for a .313 average, leading the team with four RBI.
- The team’s doubleheader against Mayville State on Friday was rained out.
- The next Blue Knights contests will be doubleheaders at the Metrodome in Minneapolis against St. Cloud Technical College on March 24, (11:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.), and DuPage Community College on March 25, (7 and 9 a.m.).
