Baseball has solid day on the mound, splits pair of one-run contests with John Carroll

By Steven Wright

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS - The Ohio Northern baseball team led from start to finish in a 5-4 Game 1 victory over John Carroll before falling in Game 2 3-2 Saturday afternoon at Schweickert Field.

The Polar Bears are now 12-13 overall and 3-5 in the Ohio Athletic Conference while the Blue Streaks are 17-7, 6-4.

Northern got a pair of solid pitching performance from sophomore Justin Miller and senior Brian Hill.

Miller started Game 1 and nearly recorded his second consecutive complete game. He took a shutout into the bottom of the seventh inning and recorded the first out of the inning before giving up four runs.

Miller ended up with the win and six strikeouts to move to 4-2 on the year.

After JCU scored the four runs in the bottom of the last, freshman Cody Fisher came in and struck out the only two batters he faced to end the game and pick up his second save on the year.

Hill (4-4) took the loss in Game 2 but pitched a complete game and struck out 13 batters while giving up only three runs over eight innings.

ONU got on the board in the top of the first inning of Game 1 when freshman Matt Hampshire knocked in sophomore Adam Yunker from third base with a single to center field.

Neither team scored another run until Northern exploded for four in the top of the seventh.

Yunker drove in the first run of the inning with a single through the left side to score junior Brandon Aselage.

After junior Greg Gibbons walked, junior Brett Katana had a two-RBI single to left field to score freshman Ben Stoll and Yunker.

Hampshire then reached on a fielder's choice to move Gibbons to third and set up first and third.

When Hampshire stole second base, Gibbons took off from third and was able to score and give ONU a 5-0 lead.

The Polar Bears were the first on the board again in Game 2 with two runs in the top of the second inning.

After a leadoff double by Hampshire, junior Loren Fleischman double down the left field line to knock in the first run.

Fleischman then scored a play later when junior Matt Rader reached on an error by the JCU pitcher.

John Carroll got one in the bottom of the third inning, but ONU maintained a lead until the bottom of the eighth inning when the Blue Streaks scored two more to take a 3-2 lead.

ONU had threatened with two runners on base in the top of the ninth but was unable to capitalize.

The Polar Bears will host area-rival Bluffton on Monday at 2 pm at Wander Field.