DES MOINES – Josh Sturges (Jr.-Murray, Utah) homered three times and Iowa Wesleyan College pounded out 16 hits for an important 10-4 win over Grand View University Wednesday afternoon in the opening game of a three-game Midwest Collegiate Conference series between the teams.
IWC jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning and knocked GVU starter Michael Jontz from the game early, and the Tigers never slowed up in improving to 7-2 in the MCC and 15-15 overall. Wesleyan inched ahead of the Vikings in the conference standings by percentage points, as Grand View fell to 6-2 in conference, 16-12 overall.
The Tigers also got a road win in conference play in the nine-inning game that leads off the series that will move to Mount Pleasant on Thursday for a doubleheader. IWC improved to 2-1 on the road in conference games.
Six different Wesleyan players enjoyed multi-hit games led by Sturges, who went deep three times, or one more time than he had all season in the Tigers’ first 29 games. Sturges hit a solo home run in the top of the first to give IWC an early lead and start what turned out to be a big inning. Edder Morales (Sr.-Barquisimeto, Venezuela) followed Sturges with a solo homer of his own, and Lino Sampson (So.-Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela) and Nelcicio York (Sr.-St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles) both also drove in runs as Wesleyan chased Jontz from the game after just 2/3 of an inning.
Sturges added a second solo homer in the second inning to make it 5-0, and also had a three-run shot in the eighth inning to widen the lead again after the Vikings had cut it to 7-4 with two runs in the bottom of the seventh. In all the junior second baseman was 4-for-5 with five RBIs and four runs scored.
Leadoff hitter Jared Zueck (Sr.-Williamsville, Ill.) had three hits, and Sampson and York both had two hits and drove in a pair of runs. Morales and Dick Bargewell (Sr.-Burlington, Wash.) both also had two hits, and IWC’s 1-through-5 hitters combined for 13 hits and nine runs scored.
Travis Parker (Sr.-Taylor Ridge, Ill.) was the recipient of the early margin and worked through six innings to get the win. Parker allowed nine hits and four runs while striking out seven. Derek Zander (Jr.-Colorado Springs, Colo.) came on for Parker in the seventh and tossed three shutout innings to pick up the save.
IWC and Grand View will play a doubleheader Thursday starting at 2 p.m. at the Mapleleaf Athletic Complex. A live online broadcast of the games will be available at www.iwc.edu/onlinemedia.
For more information regarding the IWC baseball program or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
Box score IWC 10 GVU 4
