Fort Wayne, IN – The Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons returned home to Mastodon Field for the first four games played in Fort Wayne this year. The Mastodons lost the home opener on Tuesday, March 25 to the Toledo Rockets used a weekend three-game series sweep over conference opponent Oakland University to improve to 6-20 (5-4 Horizon League) on the year. The Mastodons now have a winning record in Horizon League play for the first time since early in the 2024 Horizon League season.
Game vs Toledo (3/25): The Rockets used a six run 3rd inning to pull away and stay away from the Mastodons, winning 12-5. The Mastodons used a pitching platoon to work through the midweek game. The seven PFW pitchers combined for 8 strikeouts and 14 hits allowed through the 49 pitchers faced by the staff. Bryce Martens got the start for the Mastodons, but he was pulled before he could even record an out in the first. He was replaced by Tyson Greenwood who would pick up the loss as he would be on the mound for the Rockets’ big 3rd frame.
Offensively, the Mastodons recorded 8 hits in the afternoon against the 5 pitchers for the Rockets. DH Sage Adams would hit the only extra base hit for the ‘Dons with his double in the bottom of the 1st. The next batter, Jackson Micheels, would single into centerfield to plate Adams tying the score 1-1. The Mastodons would score 2 more in the 6th inning on Augusto Schroeder and Justin Osterhouse singles, and they would score runs 4 and 5 in the 8th inning when Sage Adams would hit into a fielder’s choice to the second baseman that would score Kevin Hall. Two batters later, a wild pitch from Toledo’s Ryan Hughes would allow all runners to advance, and Brooks Sailors would cross the plate.
Team Stats:
PFW – 5 R, 14 H (2B Adams), SB (Osterhouse), CS (Osterhouse), 2 E (Sailors, Schroeder)
TOL – 12 R, 14 H (2B Cahill, Leto. HR Walton), SB (Leto, Gravelle), 2 E (Scholvin, Sudbrook)
Game 1 vs Oakland (3/28): The Mastodons scored 8 runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning and used a 1-out double to the right center gap from Brooks Sailors to walk off the game by a score of 14-13 played downtown at neighboring Indiana Tech’s field. The Mastodon pitching staff was relieved to have the offensive support from the other 9 batters as allowing 13 runs usually doesn’t lead to many wins. Oakland’s Matthew McGann tried all he could to win the game for the Grizzlies – 3 hits, 3 home runs, 6 RBIs.
Dillon Fischer started the game for the ‘Dons. In the no-decision, Fischer allowed 8 earned runs on 9 hits, 3 walks, and one hit batter. Fischer was able to strike out 5 batters out of the 26 faced. Freshman Aidan Pearson picked up his second win of the season (2-1) after coming into the game with 2 outs in the top of the last frame. He would plunk a batter before getting the 7-hole hitter to ground out to Camden Karczewski at shortstop.
The Mastodons outhit the Grizzlies behind multi-hit games for seven of the ten Mastodons that saw an at-bat in the game. Brooks Sailors and Kevin Hall each had 3 hits, and Sailors led the team in RBIs with 4, including two coming from a 5th inning homerun to right center. Nick Hockemeyer had a 3-run homerun in the 2nd inning, and Jackson Micheels had a solo shot in the 4th.
In the bottom of the 9th, the Mastodons would attempt to play small ball to get back into the game. Kevin Hall would start the inning off with a single through the left side of the infield on a two-strike pitch. Camden Karczewski would come up and attempt to bunt Hall over to second base. Karczewski would place a perfect bunt to the second baseman, who would be unable to make the play at first. Grant Sawa would pinch hit for Nick Hockemeyer, but he would pop up a bunt to the first baseman making all runners quickly retreat to the bag. Brooks Sailors had the highlight of the game where he would drive a 2-2 count pitch to the right center gap that would bring Hall around from second and Karczewski would be waved around third, and he would go first to home to score the winning run.
Team Stats:
PFW – 14 R, 18 H (2B Sailors, Hockemeyer. HR Sailors, Micheels, Hockemeyer), SB (Hall), E (Karczewski)
OAK – 13 R, 15 H (2B Lauinger, Lux, Halloran. HR McGann (3), Halloran, Griffith), SB (Lauinger (2), Rice, McGann), E (Tomlin, Nigh)
Game 2 vs Oakland (3/29): Not even a full day removed from the high scoring walk-off matchup, the Mastodons took another full game and then some to defeat the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. This time, the pitching for both teams found its groove early, and runs were a premium in this game. Nick Hockemeyer played hero for the ‘Dons in this one with his single to left field in the bottom of the 10th inning to once again win via walk-off by a score of 3-2.
In an unusual event, the Mastodons only used two pitchers in the game – perhaps knowing they had another game to play later in the day. Luckily, the Mastodon’s pitching staff, though not perfect, threw a really good game statistically. Zane Danielson got the start and pitch 6 full innings in the no decision outing. Danielson only allowed 3 hits and 1 unearned run in his outing. Nine batters struck out to the Mastodon southpaw. He was replaced by Freshman Trent Murphy in the 7th inning. Murphy went the distance to close the game only allowing 1 earned run on 3 hits and adding 3 strikeouts of his own on the way to the his first victory of the season.
Justin Osterhouse started the scoring in the 4th inning with a solo shot over the fence in the deepest part of Mastodon Field in center field. After the Grizzlies tied the game in the 5th, Grant Sawa hit a sacrifice fly out to right field deep enough for Camden Karczewski to tag up and score. Oakland would tie the game in the 7th, and the game would have to use an extra frame to decide the winner. Grant Sawa started the inning by drawing a full count and then a walk on the final pitch. Like the game before, the ‘Dons would play small ball with Garrett Maish laying down a sacrifice bunt that would move Sawa to second. The first pitch to the next batter, Nick Hockemeyer, was a wild pitch that allowed Sawa to move 90 feet away from victory. Hockemeyer would shoot a line drive into left field on a 2-2 pitch that would let Sawa walk into home plate for the 3-2 victory.
Team Stats:
PFW – 3 R, 3 H (2B Karczewski, HR Osterhouse), SAC (Maish), E (Schroeder)
OAK – 2 R, 6 H (2B McGann, Rice), SB (Lauinger, Tomlin, McGann, Hain, Rice)
Game 3 vs Oakland (3/29): With expected weather in the forecast for Sunday, the series finale was moved to a double-header on Saturday approximately half an hour after the walk-off win on Saturday. This time without the excitement of a walk-off win, the Mastodons would only need to bat for 8 innings to win 6-5 behind solid pitching and two Mastodon home runs.
Like the other two games of the series, the Mastodon’s starting pitcher would get the no decision in this game. Gavin Walters would pitch 5.1 innings allowing 4 hits, 4 earned runs, and striking out 3 Oakland batters. Aidan Pearson would come in for Walters in the 6th and get the final 2 outs of the inning. Pearson would be the last pitcher to pitch when the Mastodons would take the lead for good, so he would pick up his 3rd win of the season. Carson Caudill came into the game in the 7th and pitched 3.0 innings of scoreless, 1-hit baseball to pick up the long save.
The Mastodons recorded 11 hits offensively, including 2 each from Kevin Hall and Camden Karczewski. Brooks Sailors would score the first run of the game on a batted ball from Justin Osterhouse to the Oakland shortstop, Brandon Nigh. Nigh, unable to control the sharply hit ball, was not able to get the throw to first in time, allowing Osterhouse to reach safely. Four batters and some runner movement later, Kevin Hall hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to plate Osterhouse who was then on third base. Camden Karczewski added a run in the 2nd inning with a home run to left field.
Sage Adams was plunked by a pitch in the 4th inning on a 0-2 pitch with bases loaded to bring Dylan Chargo in from third base to score. The Grizzlies would take the lead in the 6th inning by scoring 3 runs, but Justin Osterhouse would do some yard work and drive the first pitch he saw deep over the right center field wall to bring in a pair of runs to give the Mastodons the lead for good, 6-5.
Team Stats:
PFW – 6 R, 11 H (2B Sailors, Schroeder, Hall. HR Karczewski, Osterhouse), SB (Karczewski), E (Sailors, Osterhouse)
OAK – 5 R, 8 H (2B Hain, McGann, Rice. HR Lux), SB (Lauinger, Tomlin, Hain (2), Griffith), E (Nigh)
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