The Briar Cliff baseball team used a dominant offensive showing to sweep Midland in a GPAC doubleheader Friday, winning game one 14-4 before taking game two 9-1.
Game One – W, 14-4
The Chargers broke open a tight game with a massive seventh inning, scoring nine runs to pull away from Midland.
Briar Cliff got on the board in the third inning on an RBI double from Grant Devecsery and a sacrifice fly from Damon Schmid. The Chargers added three more in the fourth, highlighted by RBI hits from Cael Walrod and Nico Sall to take a 5-2 lead.
After holding Midland scoreless through the middle innings, Briar Cliff erupted in the seventh. Raenan Padilla sparked the inning with a three-run home run, while Cade Marquardt delivered a three-RBI triple. The Chargers piled up 10 hits in the frame to put the game out of reach.
Briar Cliff totaled 21 hits in the contest, with Walrod, Sall, Marquardt, and Jake Christianson each recording three-hit performances. Padilla and Devecsery both drove in three runs.
On the mound, Nick Hays earned the win, tossing six innings with eight strikeouts while allowing two runs.
Game Two – W, 9-1
The Chargers carried that momentum into game two, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back.
Briar Cliff plated three runs in the first inning on a three-run home run from Devecsery, then added single runs in the second and third innings to build a 5-1 advantage. Cade Marquardt extended the lead with a solo home run in the sixth.
The Chargers added insurance in the seventh, with RBIs from Raenan Padilla and Jake Bussom to push the lead to 9-1.
Devecsery led the offense with three RBIs, while Bussom added two RBIs. Damon Schmid finished with two hits and scored twice, and Marquardt reached base four times.
On the mound, Johnny Reed picked up the win, allowing one run over five innings. Brendan Ward and Zach Lamont combined to shut down Midland over the final four innings.
The Cliff move to 24-21 (17-9 GPAC) will return home for the season finale against Midland at the Bishop Mueller Complex tomorrow. Game one is slated for 12 p.m. with game two following shortly after. Tomorrow's contest is Pack the Park and Senior Day, the Chargers will honor their seniors prior to game one.
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