Waldorf Baseball Plays Four More Games in Florida

WINTER HAVEN and DAVENPORT, Fla. – In the second half of their Spring Break trip, the Warriors win one against Valley City State University (13-11) and drop three to Valley City State (10-6), Calumet College of St. Joseph (12-1), and Cornerstone University (7-1) to finish the week 3-5.

Game 5 vs Valley City State University:

Valley City State's early offense kept the Warriors behind for most of the game, ending with a final score of 10-6 in favor of the Vikings. Valley City State jumped on top in the first inning with a 2-0 score. The Vikings added two more in the fourth and single runs in the sixth and seventh. Their 6-0 cushion from the first seven innings increased with four more runs over the final two innings. Waldorf finally broke through in the eighth, scoring their first run on a wild pitch. Valley City State took a 10-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth where Waldorf answered with five runs, highlighted by a two-run single from Elijah Balderas. However, the Warriors ran out of innings and lost 10-6.

Game 6 vs Calumet College of St. Joseph:

A pair of early big innings put Waldorf in a deep hole it could not escape as Calumet (Ind.) overtook the Warriors 12-1. Calumet seized control from the outset, striking for three runs in the first inning and six more in the second to build a 9-0 lead after two frames. The Warriors settled in defensively after the second, holding Calumet scoreless in the third and fourth, but another big swing extended the deficit in the fifth, taking their lead to 11-0. Waldorf's lone breakthrough came in the sixth inning when Mason Smith came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Andrew Herrin to trim the deficit to 11-1. The Crimson Waves scored one more in the seventh and kept the Warriors from scoring to end the game 12-1.

Game 7 vs Valley City State University:

Waldorf used a late three-run eighth inning to outlast Valley City State 13-11. Cameren Rindone started the scoring for the Warriors in the third inning with his two RBI home run. After three more runs in the fourth inning, Waldorf took the 5-3 lead. After Valley City State answered with seven runs between the fifth and sixth innings to build a 10-5 lead, Rindone responded again in the bottom of the sixth with a game-changing swing — a four-RBI homer as part of a five-run inning that pulled Waldorf even at 10-10. He finished the day with two home runs, six RBIs, three runs scored, two hits, and a walk. Tied 10-10 after six innings in a back-and-forth contest, Waldorf took control for good in the bottom of the eighth by manufacturing three runs without the benefit of a hit. Patient plate appearances turned the game as Cameron Bailey, Elijah Balderas, and Chase Dodge each forced in runs via walks and a hit-by-pitch to move the Warriors in front 13-11. Valley City State was held scoreless in the ninth, ending the game with a Waldorf win.

Game 8 vs Cornerstone University:

An early Cornerstone (MI) surge proved too much for Waldorf to overcome in the 7-1 loss. Cornerstone built its lead throughout the game, striking first in the second inning on a two-run single. The Golden Eagles doubled that margin in the fourth and added one run each in the fifth and sixth innings to make it 6-0. Cornerstone tacked on its final run in the top of the seventh. Waldorf continued to battle in its final at-bat, loading traffic and finally breaking through when Andrew Herrin delivered an RBI single to drive in Smith for the Warriors' lone run of the contest.

The Warriors have a week off before traveling to Doane University in Crete, Nebraska on Saturday and Sunday, March 14 and 15.