WICHITA, Kan. – The Regis University baseball team (3-7) dropped game one 2-4 before earning their first shutout win of the season, 4-0, over the Newman University Jets (6-3) on Sunday afternoon.
 
How It Happened | Game 1: Sophomore Marcus Salvato singled to left field as the game's lead-off batter. He advanced to third base but was left stranded before he could make it home. After making quick work of the Jets in the first inning, Regis relinquished three runs on three hits in the bottom of the second.
 
The game remained 0-3 in Newman's favor until the top of the fourth inning. With two outs in the inning, senior Logan Heflebower doubled to right-center, recording the Rangers' second hit of the game. The next batter up, senior Mickey Meinhofer, hit an RBI doubled in the opposite direction. Heflebower's run got cur the RU deficit to two, 1-3.
 
The Jets did not allow any Regis base runner to reach scoring position before extending their lead to 1-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Rangers allowed one run on two hits before junior Kennedy Phillips caught a runner stealing to get out of the inning.
 
RU headed into the seventh inning trailing 1-4. With two outs to work with, junior Ryan Tierney was hit by a pitch to get on board. Sophomore Andy Beyene singled to up the middle to advance Tierney into scoring position. The scoring run came to the plate in M. Salvato who singled to center field. His single scored Tierney but the Regis fell 2-4 when Beyene was called out at second base on the same play.
 
Game Notes | Game 1: The Rangers recorded six hits compared to the Jets seven. M. Salvato (2-4, 1 RBI) led the team with two hits. Heflebower (1-3, 1 2B) and Meinhofer (1-3, 1 RBI, 1 2B) both hit doubles in the game.
 
Defensively, neither team committed an error. Freshman Justin Kleinsorge (0-3) received his third loss after pitching five innings as the starter. He allowed three runs on five hits and struck out six batters.  
 
How It Happened | Game 2: The first three frames were retired 1-2-3 before two Newman batters reached base via errors in the bottom of the second. RU escaped the inning without allowing a run.
 
The first Regis hit came off the bat of freshman Ben Kittay. Kittay singled to left field as the lead-off batter in the third inning but was unable to advance to second before the inning was over. The fourth inning featured just six batter as each team went three-up, three-down.
 
With zero outs in the fifth inning, Heflebower doubled to right center but was called out at third when freshman Miguel Marquez hit into a fielders' choice. The Jets got out of the fifth inning by turning a 4-6-3 double-play.
 
After the Rangers got two quick outs in the bottom of the fifth, Newman collected an infield base-knock followed by a single up the middle that placed runners on the corners. The runner on first base stole second to put two runners in scoring position, but freshman Brayden Brooks tallied his fifth strikeout of the game to end the inning.
 
Freshman Ryan Hutchinson made it safely to first base with his first collegiate hit in the top of the sixth. Tierney laid down a successful sacrifice bunt that moved Hutchinson into scoring position. He then advanced to third before scoring the first run of the game on a Meinhofer RBI double. Senior Connor Rochon followed with a double to right field, scoring Meinhofer and extending the RU lead to 2-0.
 
Regis extended their lead to 4-0 with two runs on two hits and an error in the seventh. Newman loaded the bases in the bottom half of the inning, but the Rangers escaped with no damage done, earning their first shutout win of the season, 4-0.
 
Game Notes | Game 2: RU committed three errors compared to just one for the Jets, but the bats came alive as they outhit Newman 7-3. All three of the Jets' hits were singles
 
Heflebower (2-3, 1 2B) was the only Regis batter to collect multiple hits. Meinhofer (1-3, 1 RBI, 1 2B) and Rochon (1-3, 1 RBI, 1 2B) each accounted for an RBI and a double.
 
The Rangers left three runners stranded while the Jets left seven.
 
Freshman Brayden Brooks (1-0) got his first collegiate win after five innings as a starter. He allowed just two hits while striking out five batters. Senior Matt Heibult (1-0) got the last out of the game to tally his first career save.
 
Up Next for the Rangers: The Regis University Rangers will return home for a three-game series against Wayne State College. The first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday, March 1 with a single game following on Saturday and Sunday.