LINCOLN, NEB. — A nine-run explosion in the eighth inning for the Central College baseball team secured a 16-6 win in the opener at Nebraska Wesleyan University Sunday.
The Dutch (15-20, 3-18 American Rivers Conference) lost 9-6 in the nightcap against the Prairie Wolves (18-18, 11-10 conference).
Third baseman Jared Kampf (senior Peoria, Ariz., Mountain Ridge HS) led off the eighth inning with a single and Central poured it on with six more hits. Kampf and second baseman Lucas Farren (fifth year, Yorkville, Ill.), who was hit by two pitches in the inning, both scored two runs in the frame.
Seven Central starters had multi-hit games as Central had a season-high 19 hits in the opener. First baseman Declan O'Hare (junior, Los Angeles, Calif., John Marshall HS) was 4-for-5 with two RBI, and center fielder Colton DeRocher (sophomore, Sioux City, East HS) was 3-for-6 with four RBI. Right fielder Kyler Watson (freshman, Huxley, Ballard HS) also had three hits in game one.
"We really hit the ball well," coach Casey Klunder said. "We had success up and down the lineup."
O'Hare struck out five as the winning pitcher in the first game. He allowed six runs in 6.1 innings. Parker Jones (sophomore, Verona, Wis., Verona Area HS) closed out it with first save.
"He keeps putting together good starts," Klunder said. "We know how good Nebraska Wesleyan is on offense so to hold them to what he did was good. Parker is getting better and better and he was able to string another good outing together today."
Watson added three more hits, including a pair of doubles, in the nightcap.
"Kyler is hitting it the best he has all year," Klunder said. "He's really coming into his own right now."
O'Hare finished the weekend series an incredible 10-for-12 with four extra-base hits, four runs scored and eighth RBI.
"Declan had a weekend you don't see very often" Klunder said. "He's on fire right now and it's fun to watch him do it."
Central has a final non-conference game at Grinnell College Tuesday at 4 p.m. Central will close out the year with a three-game weekend series at Luther.
"We seem to be playing some of our best baseball here recently" Klunder said. "We want to end on a real positive note for our seniors but also for the program moving forward."
