Tuesday afternoon was a chilly, rainy early March day, but that did not stop the Spring Arbor baseball team from playing their 7^th game in as many days, as they took on Lourdes in the final game of an extended three game set. The series began last Tuesday with a doubleheader sweep from the Cougars in two close contests, and this game was no different, albeit more of an offensive outburst. The two teams combined for 21 runs, with a 3 run Spring Arbor 8^th inning giving them the knockout punch in a 12-9 win.

SCORES: 
Spring Arbor 12, Lourdes 9
LOCATION: 
Hank Burbridge Field
RECORDS: 
Spring Arbor 10-5, Lourdes 0-5
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
 Kyler Hinken got the start in a scheduled bullpen day for Spring Arbor and threw a scoreless first in his only inning of work. The Cougar offense immediately got to work after that, scoring 3 runs on an errant throw on a double steal from Aiden Brunin and Joey Tessmer that allowed Tessmer to score, and a Braydon Gregory 2 RBI single. 
 
Lourdes would respond quickly in the top of the second on a home run to right field, to cut their deficit to 3-2, but Tessmer hit a long ball of his own to right center in the bottom of the frame to get a run back for the Cougars and give them the 4-2 advantage after 2 innings. 
 
Freshmen Brady Mitchell was the next arm out of the pen for the Cougars and was stellar in the top of the third, striking out the side with a measly infield single preventing a 1-2-3 inning. In the bottom of the frame, the Cougar offense came to life once again, with Connor Dee scoring on an errant throw as a result of a Zach Adams sac bunt, and Jake Spedoske bringing another run home on a safety squeeze bunt to extend Spring Arbor's lead to 6-2. Lourdes would continue to respond however in the top of the fourth, as the Gray Wolves used a pair of bunts, sac flies, and a Cougar error to bring 3 runs across and get within a run, 6-5. 

Spring Arbor would go scoreless in the bottom of the fourth, their first scoreless inning of the contest, and Lourdes would capitalize on that momentum, taking a 7-6 lead on a fluky wild pitch play that brought two runs across. However, Joey Tessmer continued to make his presence known in the bottom of the fifth, tying it up at 7 apiece with a 2-strike, 2-out RBI double. Lourdes would retake the lead in the top of the sixth, 8-7, after two straight Cougar errors allowed a run to score, and Spring Arbor could not immediately respond, going scoreless in the bottom of the sixth. 
 
Desperately needing a clean inning, Josh Murphy got the call from the bullpen for Spring Arbor in the top of the seventh and answered the call with a scoreless frame. The Cougar offense found a spark again in the bottom half, regaining the lead, 9-8,  on a wild pitch that scored pinch runner Brenden Phillips, and an RBI walk from Landon Raczkowski with two outs. Another Lourdes home run retied the score at 9 apiece in the top of the eighth, but as they did all day, the Cougar offense responded. After two walks to begin the inning, Zach Adams delivered the big blow, lacing a double into right center on a full count pitch to bring home two. Tessmer would record another RBI on a single up the middle to give the Cougars a 12-9 lead that they would not relinquish, as Murphy struck out the side in the ninth to seal the third straight victory for the Cougars. 


Top Performers: 
Pitching:
Kyler Hinken: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Jack Will: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's
Josh Murphy: Win, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K's
Hitting
Joey Tessmer: 3 for 4, HR, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, HBP, SB
Zach Adams: 2 for 3, 2 2B, 2 RBI, BB, SAC Bunt
Braydon Gregory: 1 for 4, 2 RBI, BB
Connor Dee: 1 for 4, 2B, 2 R, BB

UP NEXT
Spring Arbor is scheduled to continue Crossroads League play on Friday, March 7^th as they take on Grace in a doubleheader at Hank Burbridge Field. First pitch is set for 1:00 PM.