The Purdue Calumet baseball team made a strong statement by sweeping the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference North Division leader Judson Eagles in a CCAC twin bill Tuesday at Dowling Park.
The Peregrines (15-5, 7-5) won Game 1, 5-1, and held on for a 1-0 shutout in Game 2 to win their third straight league contest and pick up their first-ever victories over Judson (19-9, 8-4), who are receiving votes in the latest NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.
Purdue Calumet returns to action Saturday, April 4, when the Peregrines host Cardinal Stritch in a league pair starting at 11:00 a.m. at Dowling Park.
GAME 1: Purdue Calumet 5, Judson 1
Junior right-hander Phil Madvek (Hobart, Ind./Hobart) pitched another gem for his fourth win of the season Tuesday, scattering five hits while giving up just one earned run in the Peregrines’ opening victory.
The two teams played through four and half scoreless innings before Purdue Calumet broke through with a run in the fourth. Freshman Avery Lochow (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) drilled an RBI-single up the middle to score pinch runner Alec Skalka (Munster, Ind./Munster), who ran for catcher CJ Gear (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso), who singled with one out.
After Judson plated its only run of the day in the sixth on a Troy Vandenbroek RBI fielder’s choice, the Peregrines exploded for four more runs in the bottom half of the frame to take a commanding 5-1 lead.
John Cristo (Munster, Ind./Munster) opened the inning with a single and later scored on a Lochow bunt-single. Eric Sickles (Benicia, Calif./Benicia) added an RBI sacrifice fly and Micah Rooke (Robertsdale, Ind./Clarke) connected for a RBI double to left center to make the score 4-1 before senior Anthony Colosimo (Lake Forest, Ill./Loyola Academy) added one more run with a RBI single to right field.
Colosimo finished Game 1 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBU and Rooke and Lochow both added two hits apiece to lead the Peregrines, who tallied 11 hits compared to Judson’s five.
GAME 2: Purdue Calumet 1, Judson 0
Senior Anthony Spangler (Lansing, Ill./T.F. South) pitched nine sparkling shutout innings to pick up his third win of the year and hold the Eagles to just two hits in the Peregrines’ nightcap win.
Spangler struck out four and walked just one in his complete game effort, giving up just two singles and only two runners to second base, as he recorded six 1-2-3 innings in the nine-inning contest.
Purdue Calumet proved to only need one run and the Peregrines got it in the third, as Anthony Colosimo connected on a RBI-single to right to plate Micah Rooke, who walked and advanced to second on a Cody Dykema (Crown Point, Ind./Lake Central) single.
Dykema finished with two hits in the game and Colosimo, Rooke, John Cristo, and Adam Crnkovic (Robertsdale, Ind./Clarke) each had hits to lead the Peregrine’s offense in Game 2.