Chris Bryant

Contributing Writer

Terre Haute, IN – The Transylvania Pioneers baseball team dropped both games of a doubleheader against the Rose-Hulman Fightin' Engineers on Saturday, falling 4-2 in the first game and 8-7 in a hard-fought second contest.

Game 1: Rose-Hulman 4, Transylvania 2

The Fightin' Engineers took an early lead and held off the Pioneers for a 4-2 victory in the opener. Rose-Hulman scored two runs in the first inning on an RBI single by M. Serdinak and added another in the second on an RBI double by J. Oliger to go up 3-0.  

Transylvania got on the board in the sixth inning when freshman third baseman Baxter Tedesco scored on a throwing error by the shortstop. Rose-Hulman responded with an RBI single from P. Rogers in the bottom half to make it 4-1. The Pioneers cut the lead to 4-2 in the seventh when junior shortstop Seita Shiratori hit an RBI double, scoring junior designated hitter Houston Manning. However, the comeback stalled there.  

Offensively for Transy, senior first baseman Austin Taylor collected two hits, including a double. Shiratori added the RBI double, while Tedesco and Manning each singled and scored a run.  

Freshman pitcher Giancarlo Gonzalez started and took the loss (4-1) for the Pioneers, allowing three earned runs on eight hits over 4.0 innings. Junior Luke Patton and fifth-year Matt Armstrong pitched in relief.  

Game 2: Rose-Hulman 8, Transylvania 7

The second game was a back-and-forth affair, with Rose-Hulman ultimately holding on for an 8-7 win to complete the sweep. Rose-Hulman scored twice in the second inning on a two-run double by J. Oliger.  

Transylvania answered back immediately in the top of the third. Freshman center fielder Ethan Dillon led off with a solo home run. Later in the inning, senior second baseman Henry Mitcham hit an RBI double to score junior shortstop Seita Shiratori, and senior first baseman Austin Taylor added a sacrifice fly to score Mitcham, giving the Pioneers a 3-2 lead.  

The lead was short-lived as Rose-Hulman tied it on an RBI triple by C. O'Connell and regained the lead on an RBI single by M. Rasmussen in the bottom of the third. Transy tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the fourth on an RBI single from Ethan Dillon that scored junior Houston Manning.  

Rose-Hulman responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth, using two RBI singles and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to build a 7-4 advantage. J. Summers added a solo home run for the Fightin' Engineers in the seventh.  

The Pioneers didn't quit. Sophomore left fielder Chris Hedinger scored on an error in the eighth inning. Down 8-5 heading into the ninth, Transy rallied. Henry Mitcham singled and Austin Taylor walked. With two outs, sophomore pinch hitter Chase Gartner delivered a clutch two-run double to cut the deficit to 8-7. However, the tying run was stranded on second base.  

Ethan Dillon led the offense in game two with three hits, a home run, and three RBIs. Henry Mitcham also had three hits, scored twice, and drove in one run. Chase Gartner provided the late spark with the two-run pinch-hit double.  

Senior Connor Arnold started on the mound for Transylvania. Sophomore Nathan Hale took the loss (0-2) in relief. Sophomore Henry Craig, sophomore Brayden Offenbacher, senior Jacob Moberly, and junior Kemper Dotson also pitched out of the bullpen.  

HCAC Standings Update

Despite the two losses, Transylvania (13-9 HCAC) sits in fourth place in the conference standings and has clinched a berth in the upcoming HCAC Tournament. Rose-Hulman (14-8 HCAC) moved into third place with the sweep. Manchester currently leads the conference at 14-6, followed closely by Anderson at 14-7.

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