PELLA — Pounding out 26 hits in 18 innings, the Central College baseball team beat Loras 9-7 and 9-5 Saturday to win the first American Rivers Conference series of the year.
The Dutch (6-9, 2-1 American Rivers Conference) won their first home weekend series in league play since 2023 against Loras. It's also the first conference doubleheader sweep in Pella since 2023.
"When I think about the growth we made throughout the weekend, it's a step in the right direction," coach Adam Carey said. "Loras has a good team. They swung it well yesterday and took advantage of our mistakes. We came back today, made adjustments and played really well."
Central used the long ball in the first game to spark the offense. Bryer Wiley's (sophomore, Urbana, Center Point-Urbana HS) grand slam in the bottom of the fourth inning gave Central the lead 5-2. After the Duhawks (7-8, 1-2 conference) tied it in the top of the fifth, Dom DeLaPaz (fifth year, Davenport, West HS) responded with a home run of his own to allow the Dutch to retake the lead for good.
Jackson Torbit (sophomore, St. Louis, Mo., Webster Groves HS) started the game on the mound for Central, striking out four across 4.2 innings. He allowed four earned runs on six hits and one walk. Turner Williams (junior, Newton) was the winning pitcher after tossing the final 4.1 innings. He yielded two unearned runs while striking out six. He walked four but allowed just one hit.
In the second game, DeLaPaz added a second home run but Central tallied 15 singles as seven different players had multi-hit games. Stephen Stufflebeam (junior, Macomb, Ill.) led the team with four hits and three RBI.
Wiley was the winning pitcher, allowing two earned runs over 5.0 innings. He struck out two while scattering seven hits. Max Steinlage (senior, Cedar Falls) recorded his first save, allowing just one of the 10 batters he faced to reach base while striking out five.
"Both of our starting pitchers gave us a shot to win today," Carey said. "It was far from their best performances, but they competed hard. Our bullpen did a good job of holding the lead in both games."
Dylan Williams (seniors, Woods Cross, Utah) had doubles in both games, notching three total hits. He made his first career start at first base in the opener, recording 11 putouts, before moving to second base in game two.
Carey cited Williams, Stufflebeam and game two designated hitter Nathan Scragg (senior, Port Perry, Ontario) for their contributions in the Nos. 6-8 spots in the lineup.
"I was really fired up with the at-bats that the bottom of order put together today," Carey said. "They had a never say die attitude and got the job done."
Central hosts Grinnell in a non-conference game Sunday at 2 p.m.
