PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College baseball team played College of DuPage on Sunday afternoon. Despite being near the top of the N4C standings for most of the spring, the Chaparralas had a tough time putting away the Hawks but managed to do so with 5-3 and 6-1 victories.  

Harper (2-28-1, 2-20 N4C) fell into an early 4-0 hole in game one that proved to be a little too much to overcome. The Hawks scored twice in the fifth on RBI hits from Branden Davis (/Rich East) and B.J. Wingerter (Prospect Heights, Ill. /Hersey). In the seventh, COD (35-12-2, 15-7-2 N4C) added an insurance run, but the Harper offense had three hits in the bottom of the inning off starter Wyatt Trautwein (5-3).

Wingerter's RBI fielder's choice made it 5-3, and Paul Kramolisch (/Bolingbrook) had a pinch-hit single to put runners on the corners with two outs and bring the winning run to the plate in the form of David Dugger (Matteson, Ill. /Rich Central). Dugger struck out swinging to end the game. Christian Poulsen (Schaumburg, Ill. /Schaumburg) (1-6) threw 64 of his 99 pitches for strikes in a complete game effort for the Hawks. He gave up five runs on two hits in seven innings.

Matty Donovan (Chicago, Ill./Saint Patrick) was 2-for-2 with a run scored, and Wingerter was 1-for-4 with two RBIs and two stolen bases.  

Tied 1-1 after three innings in game two, Harper went hitless from the remainder of the game in a 6-1 defeat. Justin Reaves (Chicago, Ill. /De La Salle) had the Hawks' lone RBI with a single scoring Nick Kouzios (Crystal Lake, Ill. /Prairie Ridge) in the second inning. Kouzios and Matt Youkhanna (Morton Grove, Ill. /Niles West) both ripped doubles in the second.

The Chaparrals scored once in the fourth, sixth, and seventh innings and twice in the fifth inning. They also outhit the Hawks 7-3. Jimmy MacDonald (4-1) earned the win for COD, while Adam Kowalski (Arlington Heights, Ill. /Buffalo Grove) (1-4) got the loss for Harper. Kowalski yielded three earned runs on five hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out four but also struggled with his command as he walked five.

The Hawks will continue their homestand with another conference doubleheader on Monday afternoon with Triton College (29-13, 15-5 N4C). First pitch of game one is set for 2 PM, and game two will follow shortly after the conclusion of game one.