GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – It was the reschedule matchup against Siena Heights the Monday after Easter that saw offensive fire power from both teams. Siena Heights won game one thanks to a three-run HR in the final inning as Cornerstone won game two 10-8. Lucas Vega had a great night at the plate and on the mound as he drove in four with a HR while striking out the final five batters to get his first save of the season. Cornerstone continues their stretch of games with little breaks as they travel to a hot Concordia team on Wednesday, April 12 for a double-header starting at 1 p.m.
 
Game One Highlights – Siena Heights - 5 Cornerstone - 3

• Grant Young got the start in the first game for the Golden Eagles and induced an inning ending double-play to work a quick top of the first. Cornerstone goes down quietly in the bottom of the first as the Saints end the inning with a nice jumping catch.
• Cornerstone found themselves in a little trouble as back-to-back singles gave the Saints first and third with no one out. Young limits the damage getting the next batter out on a grounder and ends the inning with a double-play line out as Siena Heights would grab the lead 1-0.
• Ben Barnes leads off the bottom of the third with a pitch off the left shoulder as Landon Poll would extend his hit-streak to 20 games with an opposite field ground-rule-double to tie the game 1-1 at the end of the third.
• Matthew Kindley ripped an opposite field double to get the inning going for the Golden Eagles as Lucas Vega followed that up with a bloop single over the shortstops head to give Cornerstone the 2-1 lead as the Golden Eagles leave the bases loaded at the end of the fourth.
• Grant Young has continued to settle in nicely after his second inning but found himself in some trouble after a hit by pitch and walk. Lucas Vega ended the inning with a nice ranging play to his left to get the force out at second to help Young out of the jam. Jake Collins led off the bottom of the fifth with a double off the left-field wall as Matthew Kindley drives him in with a two-out single to extend the Cornerstone lead to 3-1 after the fifth inning.
• Grant Young found himself in trouble again in the top of the sixth as a balk was called, as the Saints scratch across a run to cut into the Cornerstone lead making it 3-2.
• Siena Heights started off the seventh inning with a double into the left-center gap and walk gave runners on the corners with one-out. The Saints were down to their final out before Love for Siena Heights hit one into the jetstream as is carried just over the right field fence for a clutch game winning three-run HR to take the lead 5-3.
• The Saints would close it out to take game one 5-3.

 
Game Two Highlights – Cornerstone – 10 Siena Heights - 8

• Ryan McArthur got the start in game two for the Golden Eagles and works around a one-out walk with a strikeout to end the inning. JC Salinas got the first hit of the game for the Golden Eagles, but nothing came out of it as the inning ended on a strikeout, throw-out double-play.
• Cornerstone struggled to find the strike zone in the top of the second walking a few batters to start the inning. Next batter hit a sharp single into center field, but a misplayed catch attempt saw the ball go all the way to the wall as two runners scored for the Saints. A batter later would hit another single to give Siena Heights a 3-0 lead after the top of the second.
• Cornerstone answered right away in the bottom of second thanks to Lucas Vega hitting a HR over the right-field fence making it a 3-2 game. Cornerstone also would threaten with two-outs but left runners on second and third to end the second inning.
• First three batters reach for the Golden Eagles, highlighted by a Jake Collins double. A run would score on another balk to tie the game 3-3 as the bases stay loaded with no outs. Lucas Vega brings home a run-on double-play groundout as Cornerstone would take the 4-3 lead.
• A good at-bat by JC Salinas ends in a walk and a hit by Jake Collins saw Cornerstone with runners and first and third with one-out. Landon Poll came through for the Golden Eagles hitting one deep enough for a sac fly to make it 5-3. Matthew Kindley would follow that up with a triple into the left-center gap to make it 6-3 at the end of the fourth.
• Siena Heights takes advantage of Cornerstone's free bases using a two-out rally, scoring a run on a single to center field to cut into the Cornerstone lead, 6-4 after the top of the sixth inning.
• Cornerstone started off the inning with back-to-back walks as Landon Poll delivers with a two-run RBI single that saw him extend his hitting streak extend to 21 games now as it extended the Golden Eagle lead 8-4. Lucas Vega would deliver another RBI hit with a single over the second basemen's head as Grant Young gets into the hitting party with an RBI single himself to make it 10-4 after the sixth inning.
• Siena Heights responded with two-runs of their own with a long HR over the left-field fence to make it a 10-6 CU lead.
• Cornerstone found themselves in trouble in the top of the eighth as Siena Heights had the bases loaded with one-out. Back-to-back balls put in play sees Cornerstone lead dwindle to two, as they still threaten with one-out and the bases loaded. Lucas Vega struck out the next two batters to leave the bases loaded as Cornerstone leads 10-8.
• Lucas Vega closes the game striking out the side for the save, giving Cornerstone the split winning 10-8.

 
By The Numbers
21 – Landon Poll extended his hit streak to 21 straight games
5 – Lucas Vega struck out the final five batters in a row to get his first save of the season
4 – Landon Poll and Lucas Vega both drove in four for the Golden Eagles
4 – Jake Collins and Matthew Kindley lead the way hitting as both had four hits to lead CU
1 – Lucas Vega drilled the only HR for Cornerstone today
 
What's Next?
Cornerstone will be back in action on Wednesday, April 12 as they take on Concordia for a double-header starting at 1 p.m.
 
Softball Contact: Jesse Campbell
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