MT. CARMEL, Ill. -- It seemed as if everyone got into the act in No. 4-ranked Wabash Valley's 18-8 Great Rivers Athletic Conference baseball win over Rend Lake on Thursday at Fournier Field.
Five different Warriors in the lineup collected multiple RBIs. Seven had hits, all combining for a quick 8-0 lead after two innings of a seven-inning affair, the first of a three-game series.
WVC extended its' winning streak to 11 games (matching a season high) while improving to 37-9 overall and 16-2 in GRAC play. Rend Lake fell to 18-23 and 7-13.
Zamaurion Hatcher helped get the Warriors out of the gate quickly with his first home run of the season, a three-run shot in the bottom of the first, the biggest blow of a six-run start.
The Warriors added two more runs in the second on a home run by Jorge Rodriguez, No. 7 on the year. He ended up leading the attack with four RBIs.
Richard Bonomolo, Jr. later added a solo shot in the fifth, coming on the heels of a two-run single in the third. His 2-for-3 day at the plate boosted his batting average to .467, seventh best in NJCAA Division I.
Nicklas Williams also shined at the plate, going 3-for-3 to raise his average to .430. His three RBIs on the day hiked his team-leading total to 58.
Patrick Graham also delivered two hits for the winners.
Maddon Pennington (3-0) picked up the win in relief of starting pitcher Jacob Frost, who went 3 1/3 innings. Pennington worked the next 1 2/3, before giving way to Manuel De Gracia, who finished with two scoreless frames.
The final games of the series, in the form of a 12-noon CDT doubleheader, have been rescheduled for Sunday at Rend Lake.