The Pella Christian baseball team moved to the cusp of sweeping the Dutch, but a late-inning rally for Pella turned the twin bill into a split, with the Eagles winning 3-1 and the home team earning a 7-6 victory Friday, as heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

Both teams stranded their share of baserunners in game one, but sparkling defense by the Eagles behind Corbin Westerkamp, on top of scoring the first three runs, allowed the boys from Eagle Lane to hang on for the victory. Westerkamp struck out seven Dutch batters in six innings, with Lincoln Vander Molen earning the save.

Game two started with the Eagles getting an early lead, only for the Dutch to match it in the 2nd inning. It was a two-base throwing error that turned into P.C. scoring three runs in the 4th inning, and tacking on two more in the 5th and 6th. Down 6-1, Pella put together a rally, taking advantage of a pair of Eagles errors and five walks to take the lead, including an aggressive read by Rex Rhamy taking a run on a wild pitch to tie the contest. Tanner Roley earned the win on the mound in relief, including work in a clean 7th inning.

Pella’s baseball team moves to 9-7 overall and 5-3 in the conference; the Eagles are 12-5 and 5-4 in league play. The Dutch head to Grinnell on Monday, while Pella Christian heads to Norwalk that same evening.