Futterknecht moved his name to the front of the class on the USF career home run list when he launched his 21st in the first inning in grand style -- a grand slam that tied the opening game at four. The junior from Elkhart, Ind., hit an 0-2 pitch to right-centerfield on a sunny, breezy April Fool's Day where the temperatue warmed up in the afternoon to a record 81 degrees.
"I really hadn't thought about the record," Futterknecht said. "Now that it's happened, I'm excited and hope I've got a lot more in me."
'Futter's' sixth home run this season vaulted him out of a tie with Doug Spencer, who held the record with 20 playing for the Cougars from 1994-98.
"Hey, my teammates loaded the bases for me and I was able to make the most of it," Futterknecht continued. "I was surprised, down in the count 0-2, that the SAU pitcher made a mistake leaving a fastball over the outer third of the plate. I just made good contact. I've been workin' on goin' the other way and just went with the pitch. That work is finally starting to pay off. It was bittersweet that we couldn't get the win, but I felt better that we won the second game."
USF gave Bickel just enough offense breaking a tie at 2 with a three-run fifth inning in Game 2.
Spring Arbor, rated No. 36 in this week's received votes portion of the first regular-season NAIA Top 25, scored twice in the top of the seventh, but with the tying run at third and the go-ahead run at second, Bickel enticed Shane Street to swing and miss for the third out securing USF's fifth win overall. More importantly, it was the Cougars' first win in Mid-Central College Conference play.
USF head coach Greg Roberts has a pitcher warming up in the USF bullpen down the third base line, but all he did was go out to go over the situation with Bickel and the rest of the Cougars' infield.
"I didn't have any intention of changing pitcher," Roberts said afterwards. "I just wanted to go over what their next batter had done and why I had confidence in him to get the job done."
"The splitter was workin' well and I wanted to finish," Bickel said. "I remembered the way Matt Degitz pitched last year and tried to do what he did for us last year as a senior. He didn't give in to any batter even though he didn't have a that blow it by 'em heater, he pitched smart, hit spots, made guys hit his pitch. Now I'm not close to what Matt was, but we talked alot last year and I remembered that today. We had to get the win in Game 2."
USF sophomore Ben Martin pounded a two-out double to right center to score Colin Zwiebel with the tying run in the fourth. USF broke the tie at 2 with a three-run fifth. With two outs, Jon Saporsantos as third and Bickel at first, Bickel stole second while on the same play SAU catcher Shane Street tried to nail Saporsantos at third. Street's throw was low and skipped down the left field line. Saporsantos popped up and scored and Bickel scampered to third. Blayke Kaufman single between third and short scoring Bickel for a 4-2 USF lead. Kaufman stole second and Tyler Gregory slugged a double over the SAU right fielder scoring Kaufman with that all important fifth run.
Justin Forster drove in one run in the seventh, then Jeff Hollister singled in another run. Zwiebel bobbled a grounder near second to set up Forster's RBI single. Bickel got Brown to fly out to center for the second out and Baker moved up to third. Afer Hollister singled to left, Bickel fanned Street.
In Game 1, USF added a fifth run in the first on Zwiebel's fly to right that scored Bickel. Futterknecht singled in a run in the second and USF got an RBI single from Travis Potchka and Martin scored on a wild pitch pushing USF's lead to 8-4. USF starting pitcher Jerrid Rydell settled down after the rocky first when SAU scored four runs and put up goose eggs in the second, third and fourth. But SAU scored twice in the fifth on a Brett Kauten solo home run and Forster's RBI single. In the sixth Jon Herbig doubled down the right-field line with two outs scoring Curtis Fisher to cut the deficit to 8-7.
Pat Brown replace Rydell in the seventh to try to nail down the win. Forster doubled to left center leading off the inning. Derek Brown grounded out to short while Steven Kolb, pinch-running for Forester, moved over to third. Hollister singled to right and Kolb scored the tying run. Brown got out of additional damage getting fly outs to finish the frame.
USF got the winning run to third with one out. Pinch-hitter Clay Maas beat out an infield single. Tyler Gergory returned to the game and moved over to second on Zwiebel's sac bunt. He advanced to third on a wild pitch with out. Martin tried to squeeze bunt Gregory in, missed a third strike in the dirt, and Gregory was ran down between home and third. Martin thought he was out, wasn't, but was tagged out between home and first.
Brown fanned Forster for the third out in the eighth with the go-ahead run at third. In the bottom of the eight, Potchka walked to lead off and was sacrificed to second by Tristen Peffley. Saporsantos flew to left and Bicklel looped a soft line drive to right.
Fisher smashed a one-out double to left-center in SAU's ninth inning driving in two runs for a 10-8- lead. Herbig added a two-run single to center and Forster added a three-run homer in Brown's nightmare ninth. Jeff Tervo send USF down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth for SAU's fourth straight win over USF.
Futterknecht, who played first base in both games, left the second game after one at bat with a pulled hamstring. He is questionable for the doubleheader on Saturday at Spring Arbor. With the win in Game 2, USF snapped a 4-game losing streak to the SAU Cougars.
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