Baseball takes both games against St. Ambrose in pivotal CCAC matchup

DAVENPORT, Iowa – After dropping a game at home, the Tigers picked up two crucial wins in their double header against St. Ambrose. This was a huge turnaround for the Tigers as they continue to fight for the top spot in the CCAC.

Aren Gustafson (JR/Rockton, Ill.) had the start on the mound in game one and only allowed one earned run in his five innings. Three total runs were scored while Gustafson was in charge, and in relief, Tyler Guertin (SR/Bourbonnais, Ill.) solidified the win with a strong showing in the final two innings. Through three innings, the Tigers were actually behind by a run, but a two-run fourth inning pushed them into the lead. It was Nolan Louis (SO/Alachua, Fla.) who singled to score Alex Ortiz (FR/Ponte Vendra Beach, Fla.) and Jacob Bulthuis (SR/Tinley Park, Ill.). Then in the following inning, the Tigers rattled off four more runs to take a more commanding lead. Terry Daniels (SR/Auburn, N.Y.) tripled to centerfield to score Ryan Russman (SO/Wheaton, Ill.), and then Daniels was able to notch a run when Bulthuis singled to drive him home. Alex Ortiz later put down a sacrifice bunt to score Bulthuis. The final run of the inning once again came off the bat of Nolan Louis as he drove in Gunnar Pullins (JR/Valparaiso, Ind.). The final two innings of the game were clean by both sides, so the scoreline would not change and the Tigers picked up the game one win by a margin of five.

Game two took a similar path as game one, with St. Ambrose taking an early lead, but the Tigers quickly gaining control. The Tigers were held scoreless through five innings, with their opponents picking up two runs before the ONU offense got fired up in the sixth. Jacob Bulthuis drove in two runs in the sixth inning. Alex Oritz added a run in the seventh on a sac fly by Kai Hudson (SO/St. Petersburg, Fla.). With the Tigers leading by just one at this point, Terry Daniels ripped a two-run homer into right field to give the Tigers some breathing room. Then in the final inning, Hudson would hit a double to score Gunnar Pullins and then Hudson would score on a sac fly by Timo Schau (SR/Chicago, Ill.). Although the Fighting Bees scored a run in the bottom of the ninth, it was not enough to overcome the Tigers offensive prowess.

GAME 1 VITALS

Score: Olivet Nazarene – 8 | St. Ambrose – 3

Records: Olivet Nazarene – 21-16 (13-5) | St. Ambrose – 18-16 (14-3)

Location: Saint Ambrose University | Davenport, Iowa | St. Vincent's Athletic Complex

STAT TRACKER

• Aren Gustafson: five-innings-pitched, five hits, one earned run, six strikeouts
• Tyler Guertin: two-innings-pitched, three hits, zero runs, three strikeouts
• Jacob Bulthuis: 2-for-4, two runs, one RBI
• Nathan Moonen (SR/Fort Wayne, Ind.): 3-for-3
• Nolan Louis: 2-for-3, four RBIs

GAME 2 VITALS

Score: Olivet Nazarene – 7 | St. Ambrose – 3

Records: Olivet Nazarene – 22-16 (14-5) | St. Ambrose – 18-17 (14-4)

Location: Saint Ambrose University | Davenport, Iowa | St. Vincent's Athletic Complex

STAT TRACKER

• Ryan Jemar (SO/Bourbonnais, Ill.): five-innings-pitched, three hits, two earned runs, three strikeouts
• Graham Burke (SR/Victoria, Minn.): four-innings-pitched, two hits, one run, three strikeouts
• Terry Daniels: 1-for-4, two runs, two RBIs
• Alex Ortiz: 1-for-3, one run
• Kai Hudson: 2-for-3, two runs, two RBIs

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Tigers will travel to Lincoln College on Tuesday, April 20^th to play a doubleheader. These games were rescheduled from March, 23^rd and are set to start at 1 pm CT.

*ONU streaming network: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/olivet/

--ONU--

Contact: Brenten Couch, Sports Information GA, bjcouch@olivet.edu