The Purdue University Calumet baseball team used more late game heroics to steal a 9-8 victory over Aquinas College (Mich.) Tuesday afternoon.
The Peregrines have started the 2015 season out on fire, winning their first five contests to begin the year 5-0 overall in just Purdue Calumet’s second season of baseball. Purdue Calumet currently stands as only one of three teams that remain unbeaten in the NAIA.
The Peregrines finish out their Florida Trip with two nine-inning, single-game contests against Trinity International Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday’s contest begins at 9 a.m., while Thursday’s is set for 9:30 a.m. in Auburndale and Winter Haven, respectively.
Tuesday, after what seemed like a low-scoring game midway through the fifth frame with the score evened at 2-2, the bats awoke from the Aquinas dugout to rattle off six runs, giving the Saints an 8-2 lead heading in to the bottom of the sixth inning.
It wasn’t until the bottom of the seventh inning that the Peregrines would start to creep back in to the game. An RBI groundout by CJ Gear (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso), followed by another RBI base knock from Anthony Colosimo (Lake Forest, Ill./Loyola Academy), inched the Black and Gold closer, putting them within four runs, 8-4.
Purdue Calumet would hold Aquinas scoreless throughout the next two innings, leaving the Peregrines down four runs with just three outs to go in the bottom of the ninth.
John Livingston (Highland, Ind./Highland) and CJ Gear would lead off the inning and eventually score on a Saints’ miscue in the infield, putting the Black and Gold within one run, 8-7.
After the Peregrines evened the score at 8-8, Cole Garcia (Anaheim Hills, Calif./Canyon) and Cody Dykema (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central) would each walk to load the bases for freshman pinch hitter, Jonny Albers (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo). Albers drew the walk with the bases full to score the winning run and secure yet another Peregrine comeback effort after two comeback wins Monday over William Penn.