UJ Sweeps Sat. Baseball

CANTON, Mo.  (UJ) — The University of Jamestown baseball team opened its spring trip with a pair of wins Saturday, defeating Culver-Stockton College 10-3 and 5-2.

Jamestown improves to 8-5 while Culver-Stockton falls to 2-8. The two teams will meet again Sunday in a doubleheader beginning at noon.

UJ 10, Culver-Stockton 3
A five-run first inning helped propel the Jimmies to a victory in Saturday’s opening game.

Lincoln Trujillo (SR/Cheyenne, WY) doubled in two runs, Matt Meraz (SR/Aurora, CO) singled in two more, and Michael Asahara (SO/Spanaway, Wash.) drove in another with a single as UJ also took advantage of three straight walks to begin the game.

After Culver-Stockton scored one in the bottom of the first, Brian Rice (JR/Vancouver, WA) came home on a throwing error in the top of the second to make it 6-1.

Luke Shekeryk (JR/Seattle, WA)’s two-run homer in the top of the fourth pushed the Jimmies’ lead to 8-1.

Leading 8-2 in the top of the fifth, pinch-hitter Dylan Dudley (JR/Cottage Grove, OR) hit a two-run home run to make it 10-2 UJ.

Culver-Stockton added one run in the bottom of the seventh.

Dru Fitz (SR/Gresham, OR) (2-0) allowed two runs on seven hits over six innings to get the win. Fitz struck out six and did not issue a walk.

Trujillo and Meraz both had two hits for Jamestown.

UJ 5, Culver-Stockton 2
Luke Shekeryk‘s home run leading off the top of the sixth began a four-run rally for the Jimmies. Tanner Shepard (JR/Grand Rapids, MN) singled home Dylan Dudley, Tayler Cullen (JR/Santa Rosa, Calif.) scored on a passed ball, and Brice Foster (SR/Lynnwood, WA) came home on Michael Asahara‘s sacrifice fly to make it 5-1.

Culver-Stockton took a 1-0 lead after the first and kept UJ off the scoreboard until Shekeryk homered leading off the fourth.

Shekeryk (2-for-4) and Foster (2-for-3) combined for four of the Jimmies’ eight hits.

Kensaku Akiya (SR/Kawasaki, Japan) (1-2) struck out five batters in 5 1/3 innings for the win. He gave up two runs on three hits. Aaron Pugh (SR/Boissevain, MB, Canada) worked a scoreless seventh inning for his third save.