REDDING, Calif. – Fourth-ranked Hope International baseball registered 4-2 and 12-6 victories to complete a four-game sweep of Simpson on Saturday.
The Royals scored double-digit runs in three of the four games and got five innings of shutout ball from pitcher Jake Thrift in his HIU debut in game one. HIU leaned on its bullpen in game two to overcome an early deficit, scoring eight unanswered runs to pull away late from the Red Hawks.
Hope International 4, Simpson 2
The Royals took a 2-0 lead in the third on a Matthew Pinal RBI single. HIU scored the second run when Pinal stole second, and David Shackelford came home on an error by the Simpson catcher.
Thrift struck out the side in the first, and allowed just a third inning single in his five innings of work. He finished with one walk and five strikeouts in 76 pitches.
HIU added an insurance run in the eighth on a Pinal RBI double, followed by Evan Jaquez bringing in Royce Clayton with a run-scoring single.
James Williams and Jayson Thomas tossed a combined three scoreless innings of relief.Â
Trailing 4-0 in the ninth, the Red Hawks rallied with a pair of runs, and HIU went to Cooper Bagby to close out the game. Bagby got a fly out, strike out and ground out in succession for the save.
Hope International 12, Simpson 6
Simpson posted four runs in the first inning as the Royals were forced to call on the bullpen early. HIU pulled two runs back in the top of the second, but Simpson took a 5-2 lead with a run in the bottom half.
The Royals scored two more runs in the third as Henry Borjas doubled to score Pinal, who had a monster series with 10 hits in 12 at-bats for an .833 average. Royce Clayton singled to drive in Borjas.
The Red Hawks put a run on the board for the third straight inning, taking a 6-4 lead.
Jimmy Lane and Pinal logged the final three innings on the mound for the Royals, allowing no runs and just one hit combined.Â
That enabled the HIU bats to restore order, and a three-run fourth inning gave the visitors a 7-6 lead. Matias Nolasco had an RBI double and Pinal singled in a run as part of the damage.
The big blow came in a five-run eighth as Nolasco unloaded on a pitch for a grand slam – the fifth home run of the series for the Royals.
HIU hit .406 for the series with 22 extra base hits. Nolasco was 6-for-12 with eight RBI, second only to Pinal's 10.
The Royals travel to Shreveport, La. next weekend to play four consecutive games against ranked opponents. HIU faces No. 19 Mid-America Christian and No. 11 William Carey on Friday, January 30 at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. (PT), respectively.
