Game One - Beloit 4, Grinnell 3 l [Box Score]
GRINNELL, Iowa – Beloit used a strong pitching performance from Alex Norman and timely hitting to move on to the winners bracket with a 4-3 win over host Grinnell at the 2012 Midwest Conference Baseball Championship.
Norman went the distance for Beloit tossing all nine innings and surrendering only six hits and three runs while striking out three. Norman picked up his seventh win of the season while tossing his seventh complete came of the season.
Grinnell got on the board early as Kainoa Inafuku scored on a Michael Goldfien groundout to get the Pioneers on the board early.
The score remained 1-0 until the Beloit bats awoke in the fifth inning scoring three runs on four hits off Grinnell starter Ben Pope. The scoring rally started with one out in the inning as Sean Little, Jordan Jaenicke and Evan Mascitti all singled consecutively to tie the game before Jake Tresemer platted a pair two batters later with a single.
Grinnell answered back in the bottom of the sixth with a pair of runs to tie the game. Inafuku reached on an infield single to lead the inning off and Mike Nodzenski advanced him to third with a book rule double down the left field line. Goldfien and Ronnie Gray then brought home runs with groundouts to tie the score after six inning.
Beloit got the last run of the game in the next half inning to break the tie with a Tresemer double down the right field line that would score Jennings and give the Bucs a lead. Norman then shut the door on Grinnell sitting down the last nine batters he faced.
Tresemer and Jaenicke eached picked up a pair of hits for Beloit in the victory while Tresemer drove in three of the runs. Beloit was hit by four pitches in the game which should come to no surprise as they lead the league in that category during the regular season.
Pope took the loss for Grinnell throwing only 6.1 innings and giving up all four runs while striking out six. The top of the Grinnell batting order did the most damage to Norman as J.R. Dowrick, Inafuku and Nodzenski combined to go 5-fo-12 with three runs scored.
Beloit will now face off against MWC North foe St. Norbert in the third game of the tournament which will determine who is in the driver’s seat entering tomorrow’s games. Grinnell will play host to Knox in the first elimination game at 3:30 p.m.
Alex Norman talks about the win: