Raiders set pair of records in series split with Crowder

The Three Rivers College baseball team did more than split a four-game series with the powerful Crowder Roughriders over the weekend at Roger Pattillo Field — the Raiders also broke a pair of records in the process.

First, Peyton Nelson picked up five hits in the weekend series up his career total to 143, breaking the TRC record for hits in a career — a record originally set in 1991.

Additionally, sophomore slugger Mason Krznarich hit his 13th and 14th home runs of the season in Saturday's games against the Roughriders to set Three Rivers' single-season home run record.

On the diamond, the Raiders (32-21) went 2-2 against Crowder (41-12), splitting one doubleheader Saturday and another Sunday. TRC won Saturday's opener 3-2 before dropping the nightcap 15-7. On Sunday, the Raiders won 4-3 in the opener before falling 17-2 in the second game of the day.

In Saturday's opener, Three Rivers got an outstanding pitching performance from starter Colton Sims, who struck out eight and allowed just two runs in six innings of work while allowing six hits and two walks. Hayden Cuthbertson tossed a scoreless seventh inning to earn the save.

The Raiders managed just three hits off of Roughriders' hurler Ashton Branson, but two of those were home runs. Krznarich hit a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth inning to snap a 1-1 tie, then Manny Alberto took a 2-2 pitch over the rightfield fence in the bottom of the sixth for the go-ahead (and eventual winning) run.

TRC scored its other run in the bottom of the third inning, when Grant Fitch scored on a Nicolas Hawkins groundball for the game's first run.

Branson took the loss for Crowder despite allowing just three hits, three runs and a walk in six innings while striking out seven.

It was a different story in Saturday's nightcap, as the two teams combined for 22 runs and 25 hits.

Three Rivers led 7-6 after six innings, but the Roughriders scored nine runs over the final three innings to take the win — five runs in the top of the seventh inning, three more in the top of the eighth and another in the top of the ninth.

Krznarich had three hits in the loss, while Alberto and Eli Marvin added two apiece. Krznarich also hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the third inning.

The Raiders got another strong pitching performance in Sunday's opener, as starter Stuart Tharle allowed just one earned run, five hits and two walks in six innings while striking out five. Cuthbertson tossed the seventh inning to earn his second save of the weekend.

Three Rivers took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth inning when Nelson doubled home K.J. Merriweather for a 3-2 lead, then TRC added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Hawkins doubled home Cooper McClure.

That insurance run proved crucial as the Roughriders cut the lead to 4-3 in the top of the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly from Easton Swofford. However, Cuthbertson struck out the next batter to preserve the win.

Nelson had a pair of hits in the contest, while Fikes drove in a pair of runs.

Crowder salvaged a series split by dominating Sunday's nightcap, scoring eight runs in the top of the third inning and five more in the top of the fourth to break the game wide open.

Nelson again had a pair of hits in the second game, while Fikes drove in a pair of runs despite not collecting a hit.

The Raiders finish the regular season Tuesday afternoon with a nine-inning game at home against Rend Lake. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.