Rivermen earn first wins of 2025 baseball season
By Trenten Scheidegger
After getting off to a 0-5 start for the 2025 baseball season, the Durand-Pecatonica Rivermen finally broke into the win column with a road victory over Rockford Auburn last week.
The Rivermen had to go on the road to face off with Auburn on April 2. At the time, Du-Pec was extremely eager for their first win. Two of their five losses came by three runs or less. They found themselves in yet another close matchup when they took on Auburn.
There was no shortage of offensive production in this one, however. Although there wasn’t much defense to be played, Du-Pec and Auburn faced off in a high-scoring showdown. Du-Pec jumped out to an early nine-run lead, before holding off a valiant comeback effort from Auburn.
The Rivermen wasted little time in getting on the board. Brayden Cox drove in the game’s first run when he hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the first. Mack Massingil scored on the play, giving Du-Pec the first lead of the day. With two outs, Chase Stender would single to left, driving in Zechariah Edwards and putting the Rivermen up 2-0 before Auburn even came to the plate.
The Rivermen blew the game wide open in the second inning. After a pair of walks to open the inning, Massingil came up to the plate with ducks on the pond. A single through the left side allowed both runs to come across, putting Du-Pec up 4-0.
But the Rivermen weren’t done there. Later in the inning, Stender hit a line drive to center field, driving in both Cox and Logan Roberts to score. By the time the Auburn defense had collected six outs, Du-Pec already held a 9-0 advantage.
Although it looked like the Rivermen would run away with an easy victory, that wasn’t the case. Auburn slowly chipped their way back into the game in the late innings. Roberts opened the game on the mound for the Rivermen. After holding Auburn to just one run through the first four innings, Roberts found himself in some trouble in the fifth. Eventually, Roberts walked the bases loaded, and the Rivermen went to Massingil on the mound.
Massingil struggled with control for the remainder of the game, however. In total, the Rivermen pitchers combined to allow 14 walks in the game. Massingil allowed six walks in just two and one third innings pitched. That allowed Auburn to claw their way back, eventually making it a two-run game.
That was as close as they would get, however, as Du-Pec held on to win by a score of 12-10. The Rivermen combined for 10 hits in the win. Hayden Sughroue proved to be a tough out, going three for four with one run scored. Cox went one for three with one run scored and two runs batted in. Stender finished the day going two for four with three RBI. Massingil went one for three with two runs scored and two RBI in the leadoff spot.
The Rivermen went on to collect their second win just 24 hours later. This time, they got their first home win as they played host to the West Carroll Thunder on April 4.
It was another game where the Rivermen led from start to finish. They racked up 12 hits and eight runs, but perhaps most importantly, they had zero errors. Their starting pitcher, Tyler Tunak, collected the win after going five innings with nine strikeouts, two hits, and one earned run allowed.
Stender was perfect at the plate. He went four for four with two RBI as West Carroll was unable to get him out. Massingil finished the day going two for four with two runs scored. Edwards went two for four with two runs scored and one RBI. Cox went one for four with two RBI, and Tunak was one for three with one run scored and one RBI. Hayden Lange went one for three with one RBI in the victory.
The Rivermen were unable to push the winning streak any further, as they fell to Oregon 1-16 on April 5. This Thursday, April 10, Du-Pec returns to action with a road game against the Forreston Cardinals. The Rivermen are back on the road on Saturday, April 12, to take on Winnebago. That game is set to begin at 11 a.m.