Baseball Drops Doubleheader at Rock Valley

ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Harper College baseball team lost two games to conference opponent Rock Valley College on Tuesday afternoon.

The Hawks (0-8, 0-6 N4C) lost 13-2 in five innings in game one. The Golden Eagles (9-11, 3-3 N4C) led 8-0 after two innings before Harper scored twice in the third inning to cut into the lead. Paul Kramolisch (/Bolingbrook) doubled home B.J. Wingerter (Prospect Heights, Ill. /Hersey), and he later scored on an RBI groundout from Justin Reaves (Chicago, Ill. /De La Salle).

Rock Valley responded with five runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a commanding 11-run lead. Starter Jason Fidder pitched scoreless fourth and fifth innings to close out the game. He gave up two runs on five hits with four strikeouts in five innings. Harper starter Christian Poulsen(Schaumburg, Ill. /Schaumburg) (0-3) lasted just two innings, giving up eight runs (two earned) on six hits.

The Hawks lost two games at Rock Valley College on Tuesday afternoon. (Jim Cummins)

In game two, the Hawks had a season-high eight hits, but it wasn't enough as they lost 6-3. Trailing 5-0 through five innings, Harper mounted a comeback and cut the deficit to three runs. The Hawks loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the seventh inning but could not convert.

Poulsen had a standout day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a run scored. Wingerter, Paul Kramolisch (/Bolingbrook), David Dugger (Matteson, Ill. /Rich Central), Nick Kouzios (Crystal Lake, Ill. /Prairie Ridge), and Jeremiah Mack (/Westinghouse) all recorded a hit. Kouzios drove in two runs with a single in the sixth inning, and Reaves had the other RBI. Adam Kowalski (Arlington Heights, Ill. /Buffalo Grove) (0-1) threw six innings for the Hawks. He gave up four earned runs on eleven hits and struck out three.

The Hawks will play at Oakton Community College (10-6) on Wednesday. Originally scheduled to be a doubleheader, the two teams will now play a single nine-inning game beginning at 2 PM in Des Plaines.