Nathan Garard Notches 14 K’s, Leads EC Past Principia, 4-2
EUREKA – Eureka's Nathan Garard (Gibson City, Ill./Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley) racked up 14 strikeouts and led the Red Devils to 4-2 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory over Principia at Henry Sand Field on Friday.
The right-handed ace pitched all nine innings and only allowed one earned run on six hits and didn't walk a single batter. He recorded 95 strikes out of 130 pitches.
His 14 strikeouts were a season high and tied his career high, which he set when he nearly threw a no-hitter in a 7-1 win against Knox at the Corn Crib last March.
The win moved the Red Devils 2-2 in SLIAC play and was the team's second in its past three games.
The home team got on the board in the first inning when Braden Cox (Washington, Ill./Illini Bluffs/Black Hawk) drove in a run and reached on a throwing error by the third baseman.
Cole Tanner (Bartonville, Ill./Limestone/Knox) scored the first run of the game after singling, stealing second and coming home after Cox put the ball in play.
The Panthers evened the score in the second, but the Red Devils regained the lead with a pair of runs in the fourth.
Karter Hostetler (Morton, Ill./Morton) got hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, then moved to second after Chase Ulrich (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria/Illinois Central College) reached on an error and stole third.
Brandt King (Stillman Valley, Ill./Stillman Valley) then came up to the plate and hit a ball to the shortstop that plated one run. A subsequent errant throw allowed another to come in and make it 3-1.
The Red Devils drove in the team's fourth and final run on an RBI single by Austin Davis (Eureka, Ill./Eureka) in the sixth inning. With two outs, King and Mike Dunne (Bartonville, Ill./Limestone/Lincoln Land) had back-to-back singles to set up Davis' RBI single to center. Principia picked up an unearned run in the ninth to make it a two-run game, but Garard slammed the door with a swinging strikeout to seal it.
Tanner, King and Dunne each went-2-for-4, accounting for six of the Red Devils' eight hits on the day. Davis and Hostetler had the other two. Tanner, Hostetler, Davis and Ulrich each had a stolen base in the win.
Left fielder Garrett Flaagan (Eagle, Ill./Eagle Valley/Williston State) made the defensive play of the game with a tough grab on the run to end the eighth inning.
On Sunday, Eureka (4-10, 2-2 SLIAC) will look to stay undefeated on its home field in a doubleheader against the Panthers (2-8, 0-1 SLIAC) at 12 p.m.
