PELLA — Pitching depth was put to the test for both the Central College and Westminster College (Mo.) baseball teams as they split Tuesday afternoon's non-conference doubleheader.
Westminster (14-15) took the opener by a 14-5 margin before Central (14-15) returned the favor with an 11-10 win in the second game.
The two teams used a combined 21 pitchers to get through 18 innings of play. A total of 30 walks were issued and an additional seven batters reached base after being hit by a pitch. There were also 10 errors in the doubleheader. The Dutch had seven pitchers walk 14 batters.
"It was ugly baseball, but you have to learn to win the ugly ones," coach Adam Carey said. "I was happy to see us bounce back after a rough first game and find a way to win. It was some names we haven't really seen a lot this year who came through for us in game two."
First baseman Brock Luna (sophomore, Moline, Ill.) had the big hit in Central's win with a three-run home run in the fourth inning that gave Central the lead it never relinquished. He drove in four total runs in his varsity debut at first base.
"We've seen a lot of that pop out of Brock," Carey said. "He's done it in fall ball, practice and JV games but we've got him a few more at-bats under his belt and I think he was more comfortable in the box today. He showed it with the swings he put on balls all day."
Nathan Brinkmeier (sophomore, Pearl City, Ill.,) was the winning pitcher with 3.2 innings of relief, yielding two earned runs and five hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Xander Poock (sophomore, Johnston) retired four of the five batters he faced for his first save.
"Nathan really settled in after the first two hitters and found a way to fill up the zone," Carey said. "He gave us a chance to win today. I was happy with the way he competed."
Center fielder Jaden Kramer (junior, Cedar Falls) was a bright spot offensively in the opener, notching a 4-for-4 day with four RBI. Kramer also had two hits in the second game. Shortstop Garrett Guenther (sophomore, Grayslake, Ill., Central HS) added three hits and scored a pair of runs.
"He swing the bat really well in game one," Carey said. "I don't think there was a pitch you could throw him near the zone he wasn't going to be able to hit."
Max Steinlage (junior, Cedar Falls) was the losing pitcher in the first game, recording the first three outs in a scheduled short start. He was charged with five earned runs after allowing five hits.
The Dutch are back to American Rivers Conference competition Friday with a 3 p.m. game against Nebraska Wesleyan University. Central finishes the season with nine straight home games against league opponents.
"It's a big stretch coming up," Carey said. "We're going to have to take it one day at a time. If we do that and we approach each game the right way, we're going to feel good about where we're going to be at the end of it."
