The Duhawks baseball team enters their final week of the regular season still in the hunt for a place in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament. 

Last week, the Duhawks played a single game against rivals University of Dubuque, and a three-game weekend series with Central. The Duhawks split the four games over the course of the week, and are preparing for their final five games against University of Dubuque and Wartburg.

In the upcoming Dubuque doubleheader, the Duhawks will look to win the season series after dropping the first game to their rivals last week by a score of 7-3. The offense was provided off the bats of junior outfielders Austin Brown (one run batted in) and Kyle Soeder (two runs batted in). First-year pitcher Ben Cottrell took the loss for the Duhawks, dropping to 1-2 on the season.

“It was very disappointing how we played against them,” Coach Carl Tebon said. “We didn’t hit the ball well and we didn’t score, which we should have been able to do off the pitching we saw.”

On Friday, the team hosted their annual alumni event, where over 40 former players came out to a golf outing.

 “It was the best turnout I have had in 15 years here. It was good to see a lot of the old players again, and it was a real good time,” Tebon said.

Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate with the plans for the day, as the game was postponed due to rain and had to be made up later in the weekend.

Saturday was senior day at Petrakis Park, and the Duhawks performed well, sweeping the doubleheader against Central.

“Those were two key wins for us to stay in the hunt for the tournament,” Tebon said. “The guys really put things together out there and we had some timely hits that helped us win these games.”

In the first game, the Duhawks managed to outslug Central 13-12. Junior outfielder Calvin Rea lead the way for the offense with a pair of homeruns and three RBI. Senior catcher John Schroeder and Soeder each added a home run to the cause, as the team was able to pull away late in the game. Soeder’s home run came in the bottom of the sixth, and sealed the win for the team. Junior pitcher Cole Boge earned the win for the Duhawks, improving his record to 3-3, and junior infielder Spencer Radabaugh was able to earn his third save of the season.

In game two, the Duhawks rallied from behind again and were able to win 10-5. Soeder led the offense with his second home run of the day, and was helped by junior infielder Spencer Radabaugh (two RBI) and first-year infielder Jordan Ries (three RBI). Junior pitcher Eric Rife was able to earn his first victory of the season, throwing the final two innings in relief of first-year Nick Panvino. 

On Sunday, the Duhawks were unable to complete the sweep of Central, as they dropped the final game of the series 16-4. Rea led the offense with a home run and was supported by Ries, Radabaugh and Soeder, who each drove in a run. Junior pitcher Kyler Laurie took the loss for the Duhawks, dropping his record to 2-5 on the season.

“After playing so well the day before, to not come out and have our best performance is frustrating,” Tebon said. “One day we look like we can beat anyone in the conference, and the next day we look like we can’t win. We just don’t have the consistency every time we go out there, which is frustrating to see.”