LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Wabash saw opportunities slip away across both ends of Saturday's doubleheader, falling 5-2 and 8-3 to Adrian College at Loeb Stadium as the Little Giants opened a three-game series with the Bulldogs.
Adrian used an early surge in the opener and a decisive fourth inning in game two to secure both victories, handing Wabash (5-10) a pair of losses despite flashes of production at the plate and steady relief pitching efforts.
The two teams conclude the series Sunday with a noon first pitch.
Game 1 — Adrian 5, Wabash 2
Adrian (9-4) struck quickly in the top of the first inning, capitalizing on five hits and two Wabash errors to build a 4-0 lead before the Little Giants recorded an out.
A leadoff single, bunt hit, and RBI bunt single plated the first run before Gabe Jones delivered a two-run bunt single. Casey Finn added an RBI single later in the inning to cap the four-run outburst.
Wabash starter Caleb Everson (4.1 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K) settled in after the opening frame, holding Adrian scoreless over the next three innings before exiting in the fifth.
The Little Giants broke through in the bottom of the fourth inning. Caleb Ellspermann and DJ Mendez opened the frame with singles and advanced on a passed ball. Will Wallace drew a bases-loaded walk to score Ellspermann, and Bradley Gilliam followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home Mendez and trim the deficit to 4-2.
That would be all the offense Wabash could generate, however, finishing with just three hits and going 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position.
Jackson Woehr provided effective relief, allowing one run on two hits over 4.0 innings with two walks and one strikeout, while Isaac Stallings worked the final 0.2 innings.
Adrian added an insurance run in the ninth on an RBI walk by Rolando Jimenez following a leadoff double by Jaxon McGuigan.
Ellspermann, Mendez, and Gilliam accounted for Wabash's three hits, with Wallace and Gilliam each driving in a run.
Game 2 — Adrian 8, Wabash 3
Wabash responded early in game two but could not withstand a five-run fourth inning by Adrian that broke open a tight contest.
Adrian took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an unearned run after a throwing error extended the frame.
The Little Giants answered in the bottom of the third. Jimmy Hawksworth doubled down the left-field line and scored when a sacrifice bunt by Jacob Edwards resulted in a throwing error, tying the game at 1-1.
The Bulldogs seized control in the fourth. An RBI single by Rolando Jimenez started the rally before Gabe Jones delivered a two-run single. A throwing error allowed two additional runs to score on the play, pushing Adrian's lead to 6-1.
Wabash cut into the deficit in the fifth inning. Edwards reached on an error, Ellspermann singled, and Gilliam drove both runners home with a two-run triple to left-center field to make it 6-3.
That would be the final push for the Little Giants offensively. Adrian added single runs in the eighth on an RBI double by Jones and in the ninth on a passed ball to account for the final margin.
Jarrod Kirsch (3.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K) took the loss, while Bryce Haney provided 5.1 innings of relief, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits with three strikeouts.
At the plate, Ellspermann led Wabash by going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Gilliam finished 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI, while Parker Smith added two hits, including a double. Hawksworth also doubled and scored a run.
Notes
Across the doubleheader, Wabash was limited to 11 total hits while committing six errors defensively, which contributed to multiple unearned runs for Adrian.
The Little Giants will look to salvage the series in Sunday's finale, scheduled for a noon first pitch at Loeb Stadium.
