Trager’s Three-Homer Outburst Advances GC Baseball Past MacMurray 9-1, 12-1
Published: April 13, 2021
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. The bats came alive in Saturday afternoons SLIAC double-dip against foe MacMurray as the Black & Orange shelled the Highlanders 9-1, 12-1, spearheaded by junior Kenny Tragers seven RBI and three-homerun effort.
The Panthers dominated both games from the outset, piling up runs on MC in debilitating fashion. Game ones dismantling was sparked by senior David Massengills RBI double that scored freshman Wyatt Matteson in the first inning. Brother Jared Massengill joined the hit parade in the third with a 2-RBI homerun that stretched the GC lead to 3-1.
In the sixth frame Greenville exploded with a four hit, six run effort that would prove to down the opposition. Junior catcher Adam Wallace, who went 2-for-4 in the contest, added an RBI single to jump-start the offensive action. Then, with the bases juiced, Trager delivered a towering grand-slam for his first collegiate homer and the first of three that the Denver, Co. native would manufacture on the day. The offense stalled in seventh, but the damage was already applied and GC rolled to the 9-1 victory.
Defensively it was freshman hurler Tyler Pilcher who earned the win for the GC pitching staff. Pilcher tossed five full while allowing only one run on five hits with four strikeouts to help seal the opener.
In the capper, the Black & Orange again put points on the board early with David Massengill knocking in another RBI single to serve MacMurray with a 1-0 deficit after one. The offense for both clubs would lay dormant until the fourth, as GCs number two arm and junior Derek Reckmann battled hard on the mound. Reckmann tossed a two-hit, six-inning beauty to shut down the bats of MC and collect the eventual win.
After two scoreless innings, the fourth frame showcased an offensive clinic by Greenville, headlined by Tragers two-run shot to left that aided the three-hit, five-run inning. The Panthers added runs in the fifth and sixth before again catching fire at the plate in the seventh inning. Transfer Jared Massengill ignited the four-run inning and again contributed runs, this time with an RBI-double. Junior Scotty Voyles closed the deal from the mound in the bottom of the seventh, retiring both batters he faced and sealing the 12-1 win.
Offensively the Panthers mashed at plate, producing 12 runs on 12 hits as a unit. Wallace tallied a 3-for-3 performance at bat, with three runs scored. Shortstop Massengill also posted nice numbers in the capper, batting 3-for-5 with four RBI and two runs.
"As a unit we really played together and trusted eachother," commented the junior third baseman Trager. "The pitching was fantastic and we all bought in to working the count as hitters. Moving forward, we are focusing on Fontbonne and what we need to do to take care of business on Tuesday."
With the pair of wins GC baseball improves to 8-14 (6-3 SLIAC) and trails Spalding by one game for third place in the conference standings. Greenville aims to build on their three-game winning streak as the squad will travel to Fontbonne University (8-1 SLIAC) on Tuesday for a double header in St. Louis.
