Cornerstone University - News

[Baseball] Baseball adds Rakestraw

Chuck Lowitzki — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:15:00 -0600

Head coach David Mitroff and the Cornerstone University Golden Eagles Baseball program are pleased to announce the signing of Austin Rakestraw, a right-handed pitcher and first baseman from Lansing, Mich. A senior from Lansing Christian School, Austin hit .304 and scored 22 runs as a junior. On the mound he went 5-2 with a 4.07 ERA. This year, he is 3-0 on the mound and hitting .400 while his team is off to a 13-1 start.

When asked about his hopes for his time at Cornerstone, Austin said, "I hope to grow in my faith while I'm here, and lead others in their faith walk. And for the team, I would like to help us achieve excellence in school and on the ball field. I chose Cornerstone because, when I first visited CU, I felt like God blessed everything that happened that day."

Cornerstone baseball coach David Mitroff said, "We are excited to add someone of Austin's character to our program. We believe that he will be a great fit at our university and have a chance to compete for innings right away. We hope Austin will have a big impact on and off the field."

[Baseball] Baseball Beats Calvin

Chuck Lowitzki — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:05:00 -0600

The Cornerstone University baseball team beat Calvin College today 9-8 in the Golden Eagles' last game of the season. It was Senior Day in Grand Rapids and a ceremony was held prior to the game to honor Cornerstone's three seniors: Adam Brooks, Mark Fila, and David Mitroff. In a game that featured 26 combined hits, it was two relief pitchers who settled things down to secure a Cornerstone victory.

Cullen Montgomery started on the mound for Cornerstone and got knocked out of the game after just three innings. He gave up six runs, four earned, on nine hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Kyle Marburger came on in relief and pitched extremely well over 3.2 innings. He gave up one unearned run on two hits, four walks, and one strikeout.

Daniel Marlow earned the win on the mound by pitching .2 innings in which he gave up one earned run. Ryan Harris then came in to the game and shut the door on Calvin by earning his first save of the year going 1.2 innings and allowing one hit and zero runs.

Zach Bohl, Tommy Enslen, and David Mitroff led the offensive attack. Bohl was 3-5 with two RBI and one run scored, Enslen was 3-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, and Mitroff drove in four runs on two hits in his last collegiate game.

The win brings Cornerstone's final overall record to 16-26. The Golden Eagles finished in 6^th place out of nine teams in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) with a 10-16 conference record.

[Baseball] Baseball Splits Again With UNOH

Chuck Lowitzki — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:15:00 -0600

The Cornerstone University baseball team split a double header once again today against the University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) in Grand Rapids. The Golden Eagles defeated the Racers 10-3 in game one and fell by an 8-3 score in game two. Today's games concluded the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) schedule for Cornerstone.

Brandon Willard started on the mound for Cornerstone and earned the win with a fantastic outing. Willard went 7.1 innings giving up three runs, one earned, on two hits, four walks, and two strikeouts. Cullen Montgomery came on in relief and pitched the final 1.2 scoreless innings.

Adam Brooks led the Golden Eagle offense by going 2-3 with two RBI and one run scored. Brooks also had a stolen base. Geren Albury had two hits and two walks from the leadoff spot and scored two runs. Tyler Krahn drove in two runs and added a stolen base.

Jon Knapp gave Cornerstone another great start in game two, but it wasn't enough to get the win. Knap pitched six strong innings in which he gave up four runs, three earned, on five hits, three walks, and one strikeout. Knapp got tagged with the loss.

Davis Martin and Zach Bohl led the offense in game two. Martin was 2-3 with an RBI and one run while Bohl was 2-4. Geren Albury was on base another two times from the leadoff spot.

Today's games bring the Cornerstone record to 15-26 overall and 10-16 in the WHAC. The Golden Eagles will finish the season with a home game against Calvin College on Monday at 4:00.

[Baseball] Baseball Splits Again With UNOH

Chuck Lowitzki — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:15:00 -0600

Jon Knapp gave Cornerstone another great start in game two, but it wasn't enough to get the win. Knapp pitched six strong innings in which he gave up four runs, three earned, on five hits, three walks, and one strikeout. Knapp got tagged with the loss.

Davis Martin and Zach Bohl led the offense in game two. Martin was 2-3 with an RBI and one run while Bohl was 2-4. Geren Albury was on base another two times from the leadoff spot.

Today's games bring the Cornerstone record to 15-26 overall and 10-16 in the WHAC. The Golden Eagles will finish the season with a home game against Calvin College on Monday at 4:00.

[Baseball] Baseball Splits DH With UNOH

Chuck Lowitzki — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:35:00 -0600

The Cornerstone University baseball team split a double header today against the University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) in Grand Rapids. The Golden Eagles were able to win a nail-biter in game one 8-7 in thirteen innings, but fell 11-4 in the second game.

Ryan Harris started the game on the mound for Cornerstone in game one and pitched 6.2 innings giving up five runs, four earned, on eight hits, three walks, and one strikeout. Luke Heller came on in relief and was brilliant for Cornerstone. Heller earned his first collegiate win going 6.1 innings in which he gave up two earned runs on six hits, two walks, and five strikeouts.

The Golden Eagles were led on offense by Travis Gordon, Zach Bohl, and Tyler Krahn. Gordon was 4-8 with three runs scored. Bohl was 4-6 with a walk. Krahn was 3-5 with one run and three RBI. Nick Covello also drove in four runs for the Golden Eagles.

Tyler Krahn drove home the winning run in the bottom of the thirteenth inning when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Adam Homan, who was pinch running for Zach Bohl, scored the winning run for Cornerstone.

In game two, Cornerstone was within one run in the top of the fourth inning before the Racers took control. Kyle Marburger started for the Golden Eagles and was handed the loss. Marburger pitched 1.1 innings giving up four runs, three earned, on four hits, one walk, and one strikeout. Dan Marlow and Justin Geerts combined to pitch the rest of the game for Cornerstone.

Zach Bohl had another two hits in the second game. Zack Meyer went 1-3 with two RBI and Tommy Enslen was 1-3 with one RBI and one run scored. Zach Harbison and Nick Covello each had a stolen base.

The Golden Eagles will wrap up their Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) schedule tomorrow afternoon with a doubleheader against UNOH beginning at noon at Cornerstone University.

[Baseball] Baseball Splits With Aquinas

Chuck Lowitzki — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:35:00 -0600

The Cornerstone University baseball team split a double header today against Aquinas at DeWitt Field in Grand Rapids.

In game one, Cullen Montgomery started on the mound and got the win with seven strong innings. The Golden Eagles won 8-1. Montgomery gave up one earned run on seven hits, three walks, and two strikeouts. Kyle Marburger came on in relief and pitched two scoreless innings.

Offensively, Cornerstone had eight hits and was led by Travis Gordon and Nick Covello who each had two hits. Covello scored two runs and drove in one run. Davis Martin was 1-4 with three RBI in game one.

Game two went along smoothly until the 5^th inning when things got ugly for the Golden Eagles. Cornerstone took a 1-0 lead into the 5^th in spite of not having a hit, but the tide turned quickly in Aquinas' favor. The Saints brought nine men to the plate in the 5^th and 14 men to the plate in the 6^thand went on to defeat Cornerstone 13-1.

Brandon Willard started on the mound in game two and was saddled with the loss. Willard went four innings in which he gave up four runs, one earned, on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

The Cornerstone offense was held in check by Aquinas pitching and was only able to muster one hit and on unearned run. Nick Covello was 1-2 with a single in the sixth inning to break up a no-hitter, a walk, and a run scored.

The two games bring Cornerstone's record to 13-24 overall and 8-14 in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) play. The Golden Eagles will host the University of Northwestern Ohio in four WHAC games to wrap up conference play on Friday and Saturday.

[Baseball] Cornerstone Falls to Davenport

Aimee Luurtsema — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:25:00 -0600

After facing each other on April 17 and having to postpone game two, Cornerstone welcomed the Davenport Panthers to DeWitt Field for a seven-inning game of game two from conference double-header. The Panthers completed the sweep and took the Monday afternoon contest, 9-2. Cornerstone falls to 12-23 overall and 7-13 during league play.

Golden Eagles right-hander Luke Heller started on the mound receiving the loss and remains winless for the season. The sophomore went 4 & 2/3 innings giving up five runs on four hits while walking five and striking out one Panther. Lefty Brandon Willard came on to relieve Heller in the fourth inning pichting 1 & 2/3 frames rendering four runs on six hits. Justin Geerts, the final Cornerstone pitcher, threw the remaining 2/3 inning giving up no hits.

After the top of the fourth inning, Cornerstone found themselves trailing 3-0 to the visiting team. However, the Golden Eagles threatened in the bottom of the fourth scoring when Tyler Krahn doubled to right field and advanced to third base after a Davenport error. Davis Martin then hit a routine grounder to the Davenport second baseman to bring Krahn into score and put a run on the scoreboard. However, the Golden Eagles ended the inning only scoring one run.

The Davenport offensive came out strong the remaining three innings, scoring two runs in each. Cornerstone was able to get on the scoreboard again in the sixth inning but wasn't enough to mount a comeback.

Cornerstone connected on four hits while Davenport tallied 10 hits on the contest. During the afternoon, first baseman Zach Bohl led the way for the Golden Eagles going 2-for-3 at the plate. Catcher Zach Harbison and center-fielder Tyler Krahn were able to tally a hit on the day as well. Harbison and Davis Martin drove in two runs while Adam Brook and Krahn scored for the Golden Eagles. Defensively, Cornerstone committed three errors on the afternoon.

Looking ahead, Cornestone continues WHAC play this week when Aquinas College comes into town for a double-header contest on Wednesday. The first pitch will begin at 2 p.m. with the second game to follow.

[Baseball] Game Two Rescheduled for Today Against Davenport

Aimee Luurtsema — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:00:00 -0600

On April 17, the Cornerstone University Baseball team welcomed Davenport University for a Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference double-header. Due to the inclement weather in the Grand Rapids area, the two teams were forced to postpone game two.

The Golden Eagles will welcome the Panthers back to DeWitt Field today, April 22, to play game two. The game will be seven innings with the first pitch set for 2 p.m.

Looking ahead, Cornerstone will welcome Aquinas College to DeWitt Field for a conference double-header with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.

[Baseball] Golden Eagles Unable to Mount Comeback Against Concordia

Aimee Luurtsema — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 14:55:00 -0600

After a strong five-inning win on Friday against Concordia University, the Cornerstone baseball team looked to repeat on Saturday afternoon. With three games scheduled between the two teams for Saturday, only a nine-inning game was played during the cold afternoon due to inclement weather.

The Cardinals of Concordia University had the bats going early at DeWitt Field and took a 10-4 victory from the Golden Eagles. Concordia overwhelmed Cornerstone's starting pitcher, Ryan Harris, with an early 9-0 lead in the first two innings. Golden Eagles' pitcher Jon Knapp came in to relieve Harris in the second inning.

Cornerstone looked to be mounting a comeback during the third inning of play. With one out and Travis Gordon on second base, Zach Harbison tripled to center field bringing in Gordon and Cornerstone's first run of the game. Harbison and second baseman, Nick Covello, scored for the Golden Eagles on three Concordia errors to make the score, 9-3.

The Golden Eagles threatened again in the fourth when Tom Enslen advanced to third after a double to right center and a David Mitroff ground out. Short stop Jake Kuhn brought in Enslen after grounding out to the second baseman, making the score 9-4. However, Cornerstone could not threaten the remainder of the inning leaving one man on base.

Cornerstone's Knapp continued his strong play on the mound giving up only one unearned run in the ninth inning but the Golden Eagles were unable to threaten leaving the final, 10-4, in favor of the visiting team.

Golden Eagles starter Ryan Harris takes the loss and drops to 3-4 on the year. The right-hander allowed nine runs on eight hits during 1 & 2/3 innings of the contests. Reliever, Jon Knapp, went 7 & 2/3 innings allowing only three hits, one unearned run, walking two and striking out four Cardinals.

Enslen and Harbison led the Golden Eagles offensively. Enslen, the right-fielder went 2-for-4 and scored a run while Harbison recorded an RBI going 3-for-5 also scoring a run. Throughout the course of the contest, Cornerstone committed six errors compared to Concordia's five.

Concluding the day, Cornerstone is now 12-22 overall and 7-12 during league play and will welcome Davenport University on Monday for a seven-inning contest with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.

[Baseball] Baseball beats Concordia

Chuck Lowitzki — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:20:00 -0600

On a blustery day, the Cornerstone University baseball team defeated Concordia University Ann Arbor in a shortened game, 15-9. With the wind blowing out 30 miles-per-hour, runs came in bunches.

The Golden Eagles knocked the Concordia starter out of the game after two innings by scoring 10 runs on 11 hits. Things didn't slow down much against the relief pitching as Cornerstone continued the offensive explosion. Overall, the Golden Eagles had 15 runs on 17 hits including 8 for extra bases.

Zach Harbison led the charge with three hits and two runs. Tyler Krahn was 2-3 with three runs and three RBI. Nick Covello was also 2-3 with three runs and two RBI. Eight Cornerstone hitters had at least 2 hits in the game.

Cullen Montgomery started on the mound and earned the win in spite of not having his best stuff. He went 4.1 innings in which he gave up 8 runs, 6 earned, on 7 hits, 6 walks, and 1 strikeout. Paul Freswick came on in relief and pitched the last .2 innings.

After the win, Cornerstone is 12-21 overall and 7-11 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC). Cornerstone will continue the series against Concordia tomorrow in Grand Rapids.

[Baseball] Baseball Loses to Davenport

Chuck Lowitzki — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:25:00 -0600

The Cornerstone University baseball team lost a Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) game to Davenport University today 4-1. Game two of the double header was postponed due to the rain and was rescheduled for tomorrow at 1:00 pm at Cornerstone.

Kyle Marburger started on the mound for the Golden Eagles and pitched into the seventh inning giving up four runs, two earned, on seven hits, two walks, and zero strikeouts. Marburger was tagged with the loss and is now 2-2 on the season.

Cullen Montgomery came on in relief in the seventh inning with the bases loaded and nobody out. He was able to limit the damage allowing only one inherited runner to score. Montgomery went three innings in which he gave up zero runs on one hit, one walk, and three strikeouts.

Cornerstone was limited to just four hits on the afternoon. Travis Gordon did a nice job for the Golden Eagles out of the lead-off spot going 1-2 with two walks. David Mitroff also reached base twice with a hit and a walk.

The Golden Eagles are now 11-21 overall and 6-11 in WHAC play. They will try to make up the game against Davenport tomorrow before hosting Concordia for double headers on Friday and Saturday.

[Baseball] Today's Double-Header Time Change Announced

Aimee Luurtsema — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 07:30:00 -0600

Time change for today's Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference baseball double-header at DeWitt Field in Grand Rapids, Mich., between the Cornerstone Golden Eagles and the Davenport Panthers has been announced.

Due to potential inclement weather forecasted for the area today, the start of the double-header has been pushed up an hour. The double-header will now open at 1 p.m. instead of 2 p.m.

Cornerstone will then play on Friday and Saturday for back-to-back double-headers against Concordia University at DeWitt Field on the Cornerstone campus. First pitch on Friday is slated for 2 p.m. and Noon on Saturday.

CLICK HERE for the Full 2013 Baseball Schedule

[Baseball] Baseball Swept Again by Madonna

Chuck Lowitzki — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 17:10:00 -0600

The Cornerstone University baseball team got swept in a doubleheader again today falling in both games by one run to Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) foe Madonna University.

The Golden Eagles were down three early, but roared back to take a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning. They held that lead until the eighth inning when Madonna pushed across one run to tie the score. In the bottom of the ninth, the clean-up hitter for Madonna drove a pitch over the opposite field fence to win the game 5-4.

Cullen Montgomery, the starting pitcher in game one for Cornerstone, was excellent on the mound. He pitched seven innings in which he scattered eight hits giving up three runs, two earned, with three walks and ten strikeouts.

Brandon Willard came on in relief in the eighth inning and pitched the last two innings. He gave up a walk-off solo homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning and was credited with the loss. He is now 2-3 on the year.

The Golden Eagles were led on offense by Zack Meyer who went 2-5 including a long homerun to left field. Zach Bohl drove in two runs and Tyler Krahn went 2-5 with a double.

In game two, Cornerstone got on the board early scoring five runs in the first inning. The lead would not hold up, though, as Madonna fought back, scoring in each of the first four innings. Madonna took a 6-5 lead in the fourth before Cornerstone tied the game at 6-6 in the fifth. Madonna took a one run lead in the bottom of the sixth and was able to hold on to win 7-6 after stranding a Cornerstone base runner in scoring position.

Jon Knapp started on the mound for the Golden Eagles and had a difficult outing. He labored through3.1 innings in which he gave up six runs, all earned, on eight hits, three walks and two strikeouts.

Kyle Marburger came on in relief and pitched very well. He pitched the last 2.2 innings giving up one unearned run on one hit with one walk and one strikeout. He was credited with a hard-luck loss.

Offensively, the Golden Eagles were led by Tommy Enslen and Davis Martin, who each drove in two runs. Zach Harbison had two hits including an opposite field double and Zach Bohl had a hit and a stolen base in the losing effort.

The Cornerstone baseball team is now 11-20 overall and 6-10 in the WHAC. They will play again on Wednesday when they host Davenport University for a doubleheader.

[Baseball] Baseball Swept by Madonna

Chuck Lowitzki — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 16:35:00 -0600

The Cornerstone University baseball team got swept in a doubleheader today in Livonia, Mich. by Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) foe Madonna. After a 13-2 blowout loss in the first game, things were more interesting in game two as Madonna walked off with a single in the bottom of the seventh to beat the Golden Eagles 6-5.

Madonna got to Cornerstone's pitching early and roughed up senior starter David Mitroff. Mitroff threw two innings in which he gave up seven runs, six earned, on four hits and five walks with one strikeout. Mitroff was tagged with the loss and is now 1-2 on the year.

Luke Heller pitched four innings of relief in which he gave up six runs on seven hits, four walks, and four strikeouts.

Zach Harbison and Tommy Enslen each had two hits and an RBI at the plate for Cornerstone. Four of the Golden Eagles' six hits were doubles. Zack Meyer, Ryan Harris, Harbison, and Enslen all doubled for Cornerstone.

The game ended was shortened due to the WHAC's mercy rule and ended after seven innings.

In game two, Cornerstone took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and was winning 4-2 after four innings. After Madonna tied the game in the fifth, the Golden Eagles pushed the go ahead run across in the sixth but were unable to hold on as Madonna scored two in the bottom half of the seventh.

Ryan Harris started on the mound for Cornerstone and pitched 6.2 innings giving up six runs, three earned, on seven hits, four walks, and four strikeouts. Harris suffered the loss bringing his record to 3-3 this year.

Justin Geerts came on in relief of Harris in the bottom of the seventh and gave up the game winning hit.

Tyler Krahn was 1-2 with two RBI in the loss and Davis Martin had a key RBI single in the sixth inning. Zach Bohl and Nick Covello also had hits for the Golden Eagles.

The two losses bring Cornerstone's record to 11-18 overall and 6-8 in the WHAC this year. Cornerstone will play at Madonna again Saturday in a doubleheader that starts at 1:00 in Livonia.

[Baseball] Baseball Sweeps Lourdes

Chuck Lowitzki — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 16:20:00 -0600

The Cornerstone University baseball team swept Lourdes in a double header today in Toledo, Ohio. The Golden Eagles won game one 13-5 and game two 7-4.

In game one, the Cornerstone offense exploded with 13 runs on 16 hits, both season highs for the team. Ryan Harris and Zach Harbison led the offense. Harris had four hits, two runs, and three RBI. Harbison was on base four times, scored two runs, and drove in two runs including a long home run to left field in the first inning. Tyler Krahn also chipped in three hits for the Golden Eagles.

Brandon Willard started on the mound for Cornerstone and pitched 7.1 strong innings. He gave up five runs, four earned, on seven hits with six walks and two strikeouts. Willard earned the win and is now 2-1 on the season.

Cullen Montgomery relieved Willard with 1.2 innings of shutout baseball. He gave up zero hits while walking one and striking out two.

Cornerstone started game two with three runs in the first inning to stake starting pitcher Kyle Marburger to a lead. Marburger pitched well going five innings giving up four runs, three earned, on three hits with six walks and four strikeouts. He earned the win and is now 2-0 on the year.

Justin Geerts pitched the final two innings in relief and picked up his second save. He gave up one hit and one walk while striking out two in two shutout innings.

Nick Covello was 1-2 with a triple and two RBI and also had two sacrifice bunts which led to two runs for the Cornerstone offense. Jake Kuhn was 2-2 with a double, a run and an RBI. Tyler Krahn also drove in two runs in the second game.

The two wins bring the Cornerstone record to 11-16 overall and 6-6 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. The Golden Eagles will play again at Madonna in Livonia, Mich. on April 12.