FENNIMORE — The Iowa–Grant baseball team pummeled host Fennimore 11–4 Friday afternoon, giving first-year coach Travis Halverson his first career victory, and the Panthers their first win of the season.
Junior second baseman Luke Nowak went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and drove in six runs to lead the Panthers offense.
Nowak’s first-inning grand slam staked I–G to an early 4–0 lead. His two-run double in the fifth inning gave the Panthers a 8–2 lead.
Senior shortstop Cody Rider went 3-for-4 in the game and drove in a pair of runs with a double in the sixth inning.
Junior outfielder Trent Milliken went 2-for-3 in the game.
Sophomore Isaac Anderson (1–2) picked up the win on the mound for Iowa–Grant allowing four runs, two earned on seven hits in five innings of work. He struck out two and walked three.
Senior Brent Coppernoll tossed two innings of no hit ball while striking out three to finish out the game.
Saturday Halverson’s Panthers kept the momentum of Friday’s win going by winning the Galena Tournament.
Iowa–Grant defeated Fulton (Ill.) 4–3 in the opening game, then defeated the host Pirates 7–2.
Senior first baseman Colin Conner drove in a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning with a two-run double.
Milliken later scored on an error as the Panthers jumped out to an early 3–0 lead.
Rider and Anderson combined to make the early lead hold up. Rider (1–0) picked up the win allowing two unearned runs on 5 1/3 innings while striking out six. Anderson pitched the final 12/3 innings to earn the save.
I–G also jumped on Galena early scoring six runs in the first inning en route to a 7–2 win. Tanner Naeger had a two-run double in the first inning to make it 5–1.
Iowa–Grant 11, Fennimore 4
(from Friday, April 25 at Fennimore)
Iowa–Grant 400 142 0 — 11 15 1
Fennimore 002 020 0 — 4 7 2
Leading hitters — IG: TJ Anderson 3x4, Cody Rider 3x4, Trent Milliken 2x3, Luke Nowak 2x4; F: Williams 2x3. 2B — IG: Nowak, Rider. HR — IG: Nowak. W — Issac Anderson (1–2, 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 SO, 3 BB). L — Chris Andrews (5 IP, 8 H, 9 R, 4 ER, 7 SO, 1 BB).
Iowa–Grant 4, Fulton (Ill.) 3
(from Saturday, April 26 at Galena)
Fulton 001 010 1 — 3 4 1
Iowa–Grant 301 000 x — 4 6 5
Leading hitters — none. 2B — IG: TJ Anderson, Colin Conner. W — Cody Rider (1–0, 5.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 6 SO, 3 BB). L — Unavailable. SV — Isaac Anderson (1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 SO, 0 BB).
Iowa–Grant 7, Galena 2
(from Saturday, April 26 at Galena)
Galena 100 001 0 — 2 4 1
Iowa–Grant 610 000 x — 7 10 1
Leading hitters — IG: TJ Andersno 2x4, Cody Rider 3x4, Trent Milliken 2x4, Tanner Naeger 2x3. 2B — IG: TJ Anderson, Colin Conner, Naeger. W — Colin Conner (1–0, 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 SO, 5 BB). L — Unavailable.
Halverson, Panthers break into win column
IowaGrant hammers Fennimore 114