Chargers drop 2 to Braves despite Smith’s solid outing on mound

MOLINE — The Carl Sandburg College baseball team jumped to an early lead in Game 1 but dropped both ends of an Arrowhead Conference doubleheader at Black Hawk on Saturday as the teams began a four-game, home-and-home series.

GAME 1
Black Hawk 5, Sandburg 3
Sandburg         300      000      0          —        3          6          4
Black Hawk     201      110      x          —        5          4          0
L – David Smith 6 IP, 7 K, 3 BB

KEY MOMENTS
• Four hits and a walk helped the Chargers to a 3-0 lead in the opening inning. Austin Wiegand doubled home Payton Hankins, who led off the game with a walk. A Chase Mason single put runners at the corners for Frank Kelch, who delivered an RBI groundout for a 2-0 lead. Sandburg tacked on a third run in the frame when Anthony Nino followed with a base hit to center field.
• The Braves scored two in the first, then added single tallies in the third, fourth and fifth. Black Hawk's last two runs were unearned as the result of three Chargers misplays.

SANDBURG STANDOUT
Starting pitcher David Smith took the loss despite an impressive performance on the mound. Smith went all six innings and allowed three earned runs on just four hits and three walks. The sophomore fanned seven of the 30 batters he faced and threw 64 of 108 pitches for strikes.

OTHER TOP CHARGERS
Mason — 2 for 4, double, run

GAME 2
Black Hawk 11, Sandburg 1 (6 innings)
Sandburg         000      001      —        1          3          1
Black Hawk     411      302      —        11        16        1
L – Cameron Howard 2.1 IP, 1 K, 2 BB

KEY MOMENT
Five of the Braves' first six batters reached base as they took a 4-0 first-inning lead.

SANDBURG STANDOUT
Hankins had two of the Chargers' three hits in the contest, going 2 for 3. The sophomore right fielder singled in the first inning, and he doubled to open the sixth before coming in on Noah Wolf's two-bagger.

SCHEDULE UPDATES
• The contest scheduled for Monday at Southeastern has been moved to 4 p.m. May 6. It will include the completion of the suspended game from April 11 and will be followed by a seven-inning game.
• Saturday's doubleheader at Oakton has been moved to a 5 p.m. start.
• The start of Sunday's doubleheader at Lake County has been moved back an hour to noon.

UP NEXT
2 p.m. Tuesday vs. Black Hawk

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