(Peru, Neb.)—The Peru State baseball team lost the series 3-1 at Culver-Stockton on the weekend of Saturday, April 7, and Sunday, April 8. They lost both games on the first day 5-4 and 12-11 in 11 innings. On the second day they won the first game 13-7 and lost the second game 7-6.
 
The Bobcats are now 10-14 overall and 7-9 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play while the Wildcats are 11-23 overall and 7-12 in Heart play.
 
Below is a breakdown of how the four-game series went…
 
Game 1 L 5-4 @ Culver-Stockton
 
There was not much offense from either team in the first game until the top of the fourth inning. Wes Bradford (Bakersfield, Calif.) hit a leadoff single then Josue Vazquez (Salinas, P.R.) then laid down a sac bunt but also reached via an error.
 
Yodelvy Garcia (Santiago, D.R.) hit a single to left as the Bobcats loaded the bases. Bradford then scored the first run of the game on a wild pitch. Later Vazquez would score the second run of the game on another wild pitch. The Wildcats went three up three down in the home half of the fourth.
 
Will Reynolds (Bakersfield, Calif.) then drew a walk and stole second in between a couple of strikeouts but Peru State could not bring him into score. Culver-Stockton's sticks got hot in the fifth.
 
Two walks and a single loaded the bases in the fifth. Then a two RBI double in the gap scored two runs for the Wildcats tying the game. Then a single right up the middle scored two more runs as Culver-Stockton took a 4-2 lead. The Wildcats scored four runs on three hits, an error and left one on base.
 
Peru State went three up three down in the sixth. The Wildcats threatened with a runner 90-feet away from the plate but would not get home. Randy Jimenez (Santiago De Los Caballeros, D.R.) drew a leadoff walk in the top of the seventh. Then Jeremy Santiago (Ponce, P.R.) and Reynolds both singled as the bases were juiced.
 
Vazquez was then hit by a pitch to score the third run of the game for the Bobcats. A wild pitch then tied the game at four apiece. Peru State scored two runs on two hits and left three on base.
 
Culver-Stockton would have the last laugh as they hit a walk-off home run into right field.
 
Kevin Diaz (Dominican Republic) pitched 4.1 innings striking out two batters giving up four earned runs on five hits. Garrett Pavletich (Bakersfield, Calif.) took the loss pitching 1.1 innings striking out at a batter giving up one earned run on two hits. Fernando Falero (Carolina, P.R.) also tossed 0.2 innings striking out two batters.
Reynolds led the way in hits with two. Vazquez had the lone RBI.
 
Game 2 L 12-11 (F/11) @ Culver-Stockton
 
In the second game on Friday is one of the more wild games you'll see all season in NAIA baseball. Both teams went three up three down in the first.
 
The scoring did not get started until the top of the third inning. Peru State got a two out rally going as Jacob Aberg (Lincoln) reached on a throwing error. Then Reynolds hit a double down the right field line as there were runners on the corners. Bradford then hit a two RBI single up the middle to make the score 2-0. Then later a double by Garcia scored two more runs as the Bobcats were up 4-0.
 
Culver-Stockton did not do much in the third inning outside of a double.
 
Peru State in the top of the fourth loaded the bases from a Jimenez walk, an Ivan Medina (Maracaibo, Venezuela) singled via bunt to move the runner over and then Aberg singled to right. Reynolds was then hit by a pitch to make the score 5-0 Bobcats. Peru State scored one run on two hits and left three stranded.
 
The Wildcats scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Their first run came from an RBI double in the left center gap. Then a two-run home run over the left center fence had closed the gap to two runs as Peru State clung onto a 5-3 lead.
 
In the fifth the Bobcats once again juiced the bags and then an RBI single from Medina scored the Bobcats sixth run of the game. Peru State scored one run on two hits and left two on base. The Wildcats were only able to reach via an error in the fifth.
 
The Bobcats threatened runners on the corners in the top of the sixth but no damage was done. The Wildcats still could not close the gap in the sixth trailing 6-3.
 
Peru State was able to get a single in the seventh but nothing outside of that in the seventh. Culver-Stockton scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings. Culver-Stockton had runners on second and third after a single and a double.
 
The Wildcats scored the fourth run of the game on a wild pitch. Then an RBI single scored the fifth run of the game. The Wildcats tied the game on a passed ball as they scored three runs on three hits and left two on.
 
Peru State came out swinging in the eighth scoring five runs. Reynolds drew a leadoff walk then Bradford hit an RBI triple to make the score 7-6. Vazquez hit a sac-fly to center to make it the Bobcats eighth run of the game. Later in the inning Jimenez hit an RBI single and Medina hit a two RBI triple as the Bobcats were now leading 11-6. Peru State scored five runs on four hits and left one on base.
 
Culver-Stockton then scored five runs of its own to tie the game back up at 11. The Wildcats hit a leadoff home run to make the score 11-7. Later in the inning a two RBI triple made the score 11-9. Then a fielder's choice got the Wildcats within one and an RBI double down the right field line tied the game back up at 11. Culver-Stockton scored five runs on four hits and left one on base.
 
The bats finally cooled down for both teams in the ninth as no runs were scored. In the top of the tenth inning Micah McLeod (Franklin County, Fla.) drew a walk and Efrain Torres (Aibonito, P.R.) pinch ran. Santiago then laid down a sac bunt but Torres was thrown out at third in a double play. Culver-Stockton went three up three down.
 
Aberg singled to left center in the 11^th and stole second but a fly out ended the half inning. Culver-Stockton hit a leadoff double then a walk and hit by pitch loaded the bases. The Wildcats walked off the game in extras with a single to first.
 
Sergio Benitez-Clemente (Carolina, P.R.) pitched 6.2 innings striking out six batters giving up six runs on seven hits five were earned. Vazquez took the loss pitching three innings striking out two batters giving up one earned run on one hit. Falero also threw 0.2 innings on the mound giving up five earned runs on three hits.
 
Garcia and Medina led the way with three hits each. Bradford and Medina each had a team-high three RBIs.
 
 
Game 3 W 13-7 @ Culver-Stockton
 
Culver-Stockton got the scoring started in the home half of the first inning with a sac-fly to left field to make the score 1-0. Then an RBI single scored the second run of the game for the Wildcats. Culver-Stockton scored two runs on two hits and left two on.
 
Peru State flexed its muscle in the top of the second inning. Garcia and Angel Andrades (Humacao, P.R.) hit back-to-back singles then an RBI single scored the first run of the game for the Bobcats. Jimenez then hit a three-run homer over the left field fence giving the Bobcats a 4-2 lead.
 
Later in the inning a productive ground out scored the Bobcats fifth run of the game. A sac-fly by Bradford to center field scored the sixth run of the game for the Bobcats. Peru State scored six runs on six hits in the top of the second.
 
Culver-Stockton then scored its third run of the game with a solo home run over the left field fence as the score was now 6-3 Bobcats. Peru State poured it on in the fourth inning scoring more six more runs. Vazquez hit an RBI single to score the seventh run of the game. An RBI double from Garcia made the score 8-3. Then Andrades hit a two RBI single to make the score 10-3. Torres then blasted a two-run home run over the left field wall to make the score 12-3.
 
Culver-Stockton hit a grand slam in the home half of the fourth inning to make the score 12-7 after reaching base from two hit by pitches and a single. Culver-Stockton scored four runs on two hits in the fourth.
 
Peru State scored its 13^th run of the game via a productive double play as they were now leading 13-7. Culver-Stockton went three up three down in the fifth.
 
Peru State held on for the 13-7 win.
 
Diego Oquendo (Merida, Venezuela) took the win pitching a complete game striking out two batters giving up seven earned runs on seven hits.
 
Aberg and Torres each had the lead in hits with three apiece. Jimenez tied for team-high RBIs each with three.
 
Game 4 L 7-6 @ Culver-Stockton
 
Culver-Stockton got the scoring started in the second inning of the final game of the series after an RBI single scored the first run of the game. A second RBI single made the score 2-0 Wildcats after two innings of play.
 
The bats cooled for both teams until the top of the fifth inning where Peru State scored four runs to take the lead. The Bobcats had Jimenez score via a wild pitch. Then an RBI single from Bradford tied the game at two. A sac-fly to center field scored the third run of the game. Then Vazquez hit an RBI single to center as Peru State led 4-2.
 
Culver-Stockton went down in order in the fifth. Torres hit a leadoff single and was sac bunt over to second but was unable to be around to score. Culver-Stockton did most of its damage in the bottom of the sixth.
 
A single, hit by pitch and a bunted single loaded the bases for the Wildcats. Then the Bobcats made a double play with only one out remaining to close the inning. The Wildcats scored their third run on a wild pitch. They tied the game from a single to left as the score was now 4-4.
 
Then an RBI single and an error made the score 6-4 Culver-Stockton. The Wildcats scored a seventh run via a single. Peru State scored five runs on five hits an error and left one on base in the sixth.
 
Peru State had runners in scoring position in the top of the seventh after a Bradford single and Vazquez double. Andrades then hit a two RBI single to make the score 7-6. A strikeout ended the game as Culver-Stockton would take the series.
 
McLeod took the loss pitching 5.2 innings striking out three batters giving up seven runs on eight hits six were earned. Blake Denson (Broken Bow) pitched 0.1 innings in relief.
 
Andrades, Bradford, Medina and Vazquez each had a pair of hits. Andrades led the way in RBIs with two.
 
Peru State hits the road to take on Grand View Tuesday, April 11, to finish a postponed series due to inclement weather for a double header. First pitch is at 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.