The Niles baseball team split a SMAC West Division doubleheader with visiting Mattawan Tuesday.

The Vikings game up a run in the seventh and lost 2-1 to the Wildcats in the opener.

Niles broke out the bats in the second game and scored a 10-0, five-inning victory over Mattawan.

The Vikings scored seven of their 10 runs in the first two innings. Niles scored three times in the first and then broke the game open with a four-run second inning.

Taylor Weldy had an RBI double in the opening inning, while a two-run single off the bat of Chris Mangus, an RBI double by Connor Glick and an RBI single by Weldy did most of the damage in the second inning.

Tate Rudlaff was 3-for-3 for the Vikings, who got two hits each from winning pitcher Tate Brawley, Glick and Weldy. Mangus finished with three RBIs, Glick two and Weldy two.

Brawley tossed a one-hitter with eight strikeouts and just one walk.

In the opener, Niles scored its lone run on a solo home run by Mangus.

Tyler Clutter took the loss in relief of starter Mitchell Dehn.

 

First game

Mattawan 001 000 1 – 2 8 0

Niles 000 100 0 – 1 4 1

Butler (W); Mitchell Dehn, Tyler Clutter (L, 5)

2B: Root (M), Tate Rudlaff (N)

HR: Chris Mangus (N)

 

Second game

Mattawan 000 00 – 0 1 0

Niles 340 12 – 10 11 1

Tate Brawley (W), Root (L), Schmuhl (1), Schacht (3), Hoppenworth (5)

2B: Brawley (N), Connor Glick (N), Taylor Weldy (N)