After a successful weekend in Shreveport, Louisiana, the Rhodes Baseball team returned home to Stauffer field for a Friday double header against two impressive opponents. Game 1 featured the Lynx playing host to the Augustana College Vikings, followed by game 2 against the Webster University Gorloks.
Game 1 was a hard fought battle against the Vikings as both teams placed good pitchers on the mound. The scoreless tie was broken in the bottom of the 3rd when Ben Burkhart came around to score on a wild pitch, giving the Lynx the lead. After the Vikings quickly regained the lead, the Lynx offense went back to work behind the bat of Ben Burkhart who clobbered 2 home runs in the contest. The first of which was a solo shot in the bottom of the 5th, followed by a 3 run homer in the bottom of the 7th. Burkhart's home run total is now up to 3 on the young season.
After winning the SAA pitcher of the week award last week, Mick Arney took the mound again in the top of the 4th. He would go on to deal 5.1 innings of 2 hit ball, not allowing any runs and striking out 2. Arney's dominant performance combined with Burkharts 2 homer game would be all the Lynx needed to conquer the Vikings by a final score of 6-3.
Game 2 was equally as exciting with the game coming down to the very last pitch. Ben Burkhart had another huge game, recording 2 more hits and driving in the first Rhodes run of the game with an RBI double. In the bottom of the 5th, Corbin Kinder drove in Burkhart to give the Lynx the lead. The very next batter, Brandon Trichell blasted a no doubt home run to left field, driving in both Corbin Kinder and Austin Smith, and extending the lead to 5-1.
Lynx ace, Zac Sohosky, took the mound for the second time this season. After giving up a run in the top of the 1st, the star lefty settled in and delivered 5.0 complete innings with just 3 hits, 1 run, and 4 strikeouts. He would go on to record the win and move his record to 2-0 on the year.
Webster rallied late in the 8th inning, and after coming just one run shy of tying the game, Andrew Carron came on to close it out in the top of the 9th. Carron got into a jam early, but the sophomore showed his poise and was able to strand a bases loaded threat with just one out, sealing the 5-4 victory in favor of the Lynx.
The Lynx record moves to 5-1 on the season and they will be in action again on Tuesday, February 18 as they travel to Jackson Mississippi to take on Belhaven. Rhodes will return home next weekend for the beginning of the Rhodes College Classic. The coverage of all of those games can be found on the Lynx Live Network.
