INDIANAPOLIS – Truman State University sophomore first baseman/outfielder Dave Gambino and redshirt freshman pitcher Kent Frantz have been respectively named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week in the sport of baseball, the conference office announced Tuesday.
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Gambino had an impressive series against Illinois Springfield this past weekend, hitting .714 (10-of-14) with six RBIs, two doubles, a triple and a home run. He went 3-for-5 in the 5-2 win to open the series, and followed with a 3-for-3 effort in game two’s 7-4 victory, which included a double and triple with three RBIs. He lined out to center in the third that scored a run in a two-run inning, then tripled and scored in the sixth. In the seventh he hit a two-run double that gave the Bulldogs some insurance after UIS had pulled to within 4-3. In the 5-4 eight-inning loss on Sunday, he went 2-for-3 with a walk. In the finale, Gambino collected another two hits and drove in three more runs in Truman’s 7-0 victory. He doubled in the first to score Paul Trenhaile in a two-run inning, hit his second home run of the season in the third, and grounded out in the fifth that also plated a run. For the season, the St. Peter’s, Missouri, native is hitting .563 with three doubles, two triples and two home runs while driving in 13 RBIs.
Frantz pitched a complete-game shutout in the series finale against Illinois Springfield on Sunday. He struck out eight while walking none and allowed four hits on just 80 pitches over the course of seven innings pitched. He struck out the final two batters after a one-out single in the second. In the fourth, he allowed a single and double but got out of the inning on a double play. His last hit allowed was in the seventh but was erased on a game-ending twin killing. In his only two collegiate starts, the Bloomington, Illinois, native is 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA (13 innings) and has 12 strikeouts to two walks.
Both players earn their first career weekly honor.