Pella, Iowa -- 4/19/25-_Central College Baseball vs Nebraska Wesleyanr. Photo by Dan L. Vander Beek

Pounding out 26 hits in 18 innings, the Central College baseball team swept Loras 9-7 and 9-5 Saturday in a doubleheader heard live on 92.1 KRLS. The Dutch (6-9, 2-1 American Rivers Conference) won their first home weekend series in league play since 2023 against Loras, and also picked up their first conference doubleheader sweep in Pella since 2023.

Central used the long ball in the first game to spark the offense. Bryer Wiley’s grand slam in the bottom of the fourth inning gave Central a 5-2 lead. After the Duhawks (7-8, 1-2 conference) tied it in the top of the fifth, Dom DeLaPaz responded with a home run of his own to allow the Dutch to retake the lead for good. Jackson Torbit started the game on the mound for Central, striking out four across 4.2 innings. He allowed four earned runs on six hits and one walk. Turner Williams was the winning pitcher after tossing the final 4.1 innings. He yielded two unearned runs while striking out six. He walked four but allowed just one hit.

In the second game, DeLaPaz added a second home run but Central tallied 15 singles as seven different players had multi-hit games. Stephen Stufflebeam led the team with four hits and three RBIs. Dylan Williams had doubles in both games, notching three total hits. Wiley was the winning pitcher in the nightcap, allowing two earned runs over 5.0 innings. He struck out two while scattering seven hits. Max Steinlage recorded his first save, allowing just one of the 10 batters he faced to reach base while striking out five.

Central is back in action today, hosting Grinnell in a non-conference game at 2 pm.