Trailblazers fall in MWAC Conference doubleheader at Heartland CC

NORMAL, Ill. – The Vincennes University baseball team fell in the first two games of their four-game weekend Mid-West Athletic Conference series at Heartland Community College, falling 11-2 in game one and 13-3 in game two.

Vincennes got the scoring started in game one, with a single by sophomore Colin Long (Evansville, Ind.) and a double by sophomore Peyton Lane (New Paris, Ohio) helped give the Trailblazers the early 2-0 lead.

Heartland would be held off the scoreboard until the third inning, when the Hawks took the lead with a four-run inning.

Heartland continued to add to their lead with a pair of runs in the fourth and a five-run fifth to hold the 11-2 lead.

This would prove to be enough as Vincennes was unable to respond and the Trailblazers fell in game one by the final score of 11-2 in the seventh inning.

Freshman Nick Kapostasy (Cincinnati, Ohio) got the start on the mound in game one, throwing 2.1 innings, including two no-hit innings to begin the game and allowing three runs on three hits. Kapostasy would also strike out two batters.

VU got two big innings out of the bullpen in game one from freshman Cauy Motsinger (Huntingburg, Ind.) who allowed two runs on two hits and struck out one.

The Trailblazers looked to bounce back in game two and wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, scoring in the first inning again after a lead-off walk by freshman Ethan Burdette (Linton, Ind.) and would later score to give VU the 1-0 lead.

Heartland would answer back immediately, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first to grab the lead back.

Vincennes would even the score in the third after lead-off singles by Burdette and Long. The two would score on a two-RBI double by freshman Colton Evans (Henderson, Ky.).

The Hawks would grab the lead back in the bottom of the inning with a pair of runs of their own.

Heartland would grow their lead with four runs in the fourth and four runs in the fifth as Vincennes fell in game two 13-3.

Sophomore Kestler Harbuck (Brooksville, Fla.) took the mound in game two and lasted three innings, allowing nine runs on seven hits and punching out one batter.

Sophomore Josiah Sizemore (Cambridge City, Ind.) entered out of the bullpen to throw an inning and a third, allowing four runs on four hits.

“Obviously Heartland is pretty good,” VU Head Baseball Coach Chris Barney said. “They are 18-0 in Conference games and they’ve got a really solid ball club. We’ve got to do a better job on the mound. We’ve got to compete a little bit better than what we did.”

“I thought a few guys threw pretty well for us, Nick Kapostasy did a great job,” Barney added. “He got through the order one time and he threw more pitches than he has ever thrown for us. Some other guys have to step up after that. We were our own worst enemy in game one, we gave up 11 runs on six hits. I thought Motsinger threw alright at the end.”

“Game two was the same thing,” Barney said. “It’s hard to play when you are behind. We jump out and get some momentum and then we give it right back to them, giving up three runs on one hit. It’s just one of those things that we have to get better at and the good news is we get the chance to bounce back tomorrow.”

Vincennes got a few good days out of the plate with Peyton Lane collecting two hits in his two plate appearances, including a double and was hit by pitch.

Colton Evans came away with a pair of hits in game two, including a double and a pair of RBI’s.

“Those two have been doing it all year, that’s why they are hitting three and four for us in the order,” Barney said. “Hopefully they can sustain it and keep it rolling for us and hopefully get a few more contributions from them and a lot of guys in the lineup tomorrow.”

The Trailblazers will look to close out the weekend strong as VU will head back to the Corn Crib Saturday, April 16 for the final two games of the series. First pitch tomorrow is set for 2 p.m. eastern.

“There is a lot to this weekend; one, we’re seeing the top team in the league,” Barney said. “Two, you are playing on the same field that you will here in about five weeks for the conference tournament, so we get a feel for that.”

“Tomorrow we have the opportunity to jump out in front,” Barney added. “We’ve got VanLannen going in game one. We’ve still got our solid bullpen with Nichols and Osborn ready to throw and a few other guys that can go tomorrow. I told my guys, the challenge is, let’s get a win or two here tomorrow and let’s play 16 innings. Play all 16 innings and then we will get on the road and get home feeling good about ourselves.”