STORM LAKE — Mired in a six-game losing streak after losing the opener 11-2 on Friday, the Central College baseball team pounded out 13 hits, including two home runs, to take the nightcap 7-6 over Buena Vista University.
Runs had been hard to come by for the Dutch (7-15, 5-7 Iowa Conference) in its previous six games, having been limited to 18 runs while hitting .186. Central exploded for 13 hits and seven runs to win the back end of the twinbill.
"The big thing is that our bats woke up a little bit," coach Matt Schirm said. "We've been struggling at the plate but we looked a lot better in that area today. That was a big win."
Catcher Michael Reuter (junior, Monticello) was paramount in driving in runs, doing so in the first, fifth and seven innings. In the fifth, he hit his team-leading third home run of the season.
"We have him in the middle of our order because we need him to produce runs," Schirm said. "He's started to do that the last couple of weeks pretty consistently."
Hitting out of the No. 9 spot, center fielder Jake Hirst (junior, Davenport Assumption HS) hit his first collegiate home run a long ways over the left field fence in the fourth inning.
"Jake has some power, he just doesn't display it often," Schirm said. "He caught up to a fastball and hammered it out of the park. His was definitely the furthest home run of the night."
Clinging to a 7-6 lead while needing just three outs, Dakotah Wolken (senior, Dillon, Iowa, East Marshall HS) took over on the mound. He made quick work of the Beavers to earn the save, striking out two of three batters to squash the threat before it even appeared.
"Our plan was to start him in game one tomorrow," Schirm said. "In the middle of the game, he came up and said that if we got in a closing situation in the ninth inning that he wanted to pitch. I let him do it and he didn't disappoint."
Preceding Wolken was eight solid innings of work by freshmen Charlie Palmer (Chariton) and Billy Coppage (Fort Madison). Palmer started and went six innings before Coppage came in to relieve.
"Charlie struggled the first couple of innings but really settled in and kept us in the game," Schirm said. "Billy came in and pitched well for two innings."
In the opener, Central was limited to two runs on three hits. Blake Judkins (junior, Marshalltown) took the loss on the mound in the 11-2 defeat.
Central will face the Beavers (17-7, 8-4 conference) in a second doubleheader tomorrow at 1 p.m. in Storm Lake.
