Gladd’s Walk-Off Homer Caps Monstrous Day as No. 18 Trojans Remain Perfect in League Play

Sam Gladd's Walk-Off Homer (Video)

UPLAND, Ind. – The No. 18 Taylor baseball team (17-4, 8-0 CL) had already belted 10 home runs in Monday's doubleheader versus Huntington (7-11, 2-6) when it entered the bottom of the seventh inning in the nightcap sitting at an 11-11 tie with an 11-game winning streak on the line. The second pitch of the home half of the seventh rocketed off the bat of Sam Gladd and soared over the fence in right-center field, breaking the 11-all tie with TU's 11th homer of the day – four from Gladd – to cap a frenzied six-run comeback and keep the Trojans perfect through two Crossroads League series.

Gladd's walk-off homer completed the second individual four-homer day for TU in as many series, following Mason David's historic home opener versus Grace on Feb. 28. It also counted as the junior first baseman's 31st career home run, moving Gladd into solo possession of third place on the program's all-time home run list.

The shot to right-center marked the third consecutive game the Trojans ended the game on its turn at the plate, as Luke Sutter walked off the Foresters on Saturday, and Ben Kennedy laced a de-facto walk-off homer to give TU a 16-6 run-rule victory in Monday's opener.

Defensive miscues for Taylor in the series finale helped Huntington build a lead that ballooned to 7-1 in the third inning. It was none other than Gladd, though, who brought the Trojans right back with an opposite-field, three-run homer in the bottom of the frame that capitalized on Kaleb Kolpien's and Brayden Manning's sharp hits to start the inning.

Kolpien homered in the fourth inning to make it 7-5, but HU answered in the fifth with a solo shot to center to keep its lead at three with less than two innings to play.

It looked like the Trojans would settle with taking three-of-four versus the Foresters when Taylor was sent down in its first two at-bats of the bottom of the sixth. Five consecutive hit-by-pitches or walks ensued, however, and pinch-hitter Ryan Sommer gave TU the lead on a two-run single.

The Trojans then swung the game to a three-run advantage for themselves on David's two-run single, only for HU to collect four hits, including a game-tying double, in the top of the seventh.

Gladd made sure those runs were nothing but window dressing for the Foresters, though, when one swing was all it took for him to be greeted at home plate by a horde of Trojans.

Jared Crandall (1-0) got the win with the help of a double-play flyout that ended HU's turn at the dish, executed perfectly on a strong, heads-up throw from centerfielder Luke Picchiotti. Nathan Frady also contributed with two scoreless innings in the nightcap.

Monday's opener saw TU's left-handed hitters ambush the Huntington starter with four home runs in the first inning alone. Kolpien, Gladd, Luke Sutter and Picchiotti were all in on the action, with the latter trio going back-to-back-to-back.

Gladd went yard in the second frame with a two-run homer, and Picchiotti launched his second long ball of the day in the fourth that put the Trojans in front, 9-6, of a high-scoring affair early.

In fact, after holding a 7-6 lead through three innings, TU scored the final nine runs of the contest, aided by a set of run-scoring singles from Kolpien and Gladd.

Conner Miller (5-0) was outstanding in an extended relief appearance, which served as his career-long outing of 4.2 shutout innings where the senior racked up a career-high six strikeouts while allowing just two hits and a walk.

Kennedy highlighted the scoring in the sixth and seventh inning, though, going deep in consecutive at-bats to end the opener early.

Kolpien, Gladd, Sutter and Kennedy each tallied three-hit games as Taylor hit for a .500 average (18-for-36) in the opener. Kolpien continued his red-hot streak with another three-hit performance in the nightcap, giving him 11 hits and seven RBIs total in the series. 

Gladd finished his heroic, four-homer effort with nine RBIs on the day. The 10 homers Gladd has hit in 2025 are tied-third most in the NAIA.

No. 18 Taylor looks to add to its 12-game winning streak when it begins a road series at Spring Arbor (12-5, 4-1 CL) on Friday, March 14, with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m.