Central College Baseball Team Falls to University of Dubuque

The Central College baseball team faced a tough challenge against the University of Dubuque on Friday, ultimately falling to the Spartans in a 5-4 nail-biter. The loss drops Central's record to 11-12 overall and 2-12 in the American Rivers Conference, while Dubuque improves to 15-11 and 7-7 in conference play. Despite a strong effort from starting pitcher Declan O'Hare, who scattered eight hits over six innings and held the Spartans to just one run in the first inning, the Central team was unable to capitalize on their opportunities.

Key Takeaways:

• Declan O'Hare, a junior from Los Angeles, California, pitched a strong game for Central, scattering eight hits over six innings and holding the Spartans to just one run in the first inning.
• Parker Jones, a sophomore from Verona, Wisconsin, takes the loss after allowing a pair of runs in the eighth inning.
• Two freshmen, Dom DeLaPaz and Colton DeRocher, were responsible for three of Central's runs, with DeLaPaz hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning and DeRocher adding a two-run shot in the seventh inning.
• Garrett Finley, a junior from DeWitt, Iowa, drew a bases-loaded walk in the third inning, scoring Central's first run.
• Left fielder Ian Boline, a senior from Alburnett, Iowa, had two hits for Central.
• The team was stifled by double plays in three different innings, with coach Casey Klunder noting that Central needs to be willing to use the whole field more and not be so susceptible to ground ball double plays.
• The Dutch and the Spartans will meet again for two more games tomorrow, starting at noon.

Statistics:

• Central's overall record: 11-12
• Central's American Rivers Conference record: 2-12
• Dubuque's overall record: 15-11
• Dubuque's American Rivers Conference record: 7-7
• Declan O'Hare's pitch count: 98
• Parker Jones's pitch count: 63
• Dom DeLaPaz's home run count: 1 (in the sixth inning)
• Colton DeRocher's home run count: 1 (in the seventh inning)
• Garrett Finley's RBI count: 1 (bates-loaded walk in the third inning)
• Ian Boline's hit count: 2

Sources:

• "Central drops to 11-12 (2-12 American Rivers Conference) while Dubuque improved to 15-11 (7-7 conference)." - The State of Iowa
• "Declan was great again today," coach Casey Klunder said. "He had that changeup working the second and third time through their lineup and that's when he is at his best throwing all of his pitches around the zone." - The State of Iowa
• "Both of them are really hot," Klunder said. "Dom is coming into his own as a college hitter and it seems like Colton never cools down. They've both been working really hard." - The State of Iowa
• "They made some nice plays," Klunder said. "We've got to be willing to use the whole field more. The more we try to pull the ball the more susceptible we are to the ground ball double play." - The State of Iowa