Baseball sweeps Muskingum 7-3 and 13-7 to improve to .500 in OAC play

By Jay Garneau

NEW CONCORD - The Ohio Northern baseball team totaled 30 hits in a doubleheader sweep over Ohio Athletic Conference foe Muskingum to clinch its first winning season since 1999 at Mose Morehead Field Saturday afternoon.

The Polar Bears improve to 21-9 overall (6-6 OAC) to ensure the team's first season over .500 since 1999 when they finished 25-19 under head coach Herb Strayer. Muskingum falls to 17-15 (6-6 OAC).

ONU won the opener by a score of 7-3 before winning the nightcap 13-7.

Senior Loren Fleischman had a career day offensively, totaling seven RBIs over the two games, as he finished 4-for-8 with two doubles and a home run.

In Game 1, the Polar Bears scored all seven runs in the first three innings.

Junior Adam Yunker walked and senior Greg Gibbons doubled before a sacrifice fly by sophomore Matt Hampshire scored the first run. A single by senior Brett Katana and back-to-back doubles by sophomore Eric Yunker and Fleischman made it 4-0 after one inning.

In the second inning, junior Mike Hoelzel was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on a wild pitch and groundout before scoring on an Adam Yunker sacrifice fly.

After the Muskies answered with one run in the bottom of the second, ONU added two more in the third when Fleischman, for the second time of the game, hit a two-run double to knock in Katana and Eric Yunker.

Freshman Austin Price totaled 6 2/3 innings and six strikeouts to improve to 7-1 on the season.

In Game 2, five starters totaled at least three hits as ONU pounded out 20 hits total en route to a 13-7 victory.

ONU again picked up four runs in the top of the first, led by a Gibbons RBI double, Hampshire two-run single, and Fleischman RBI single.

Muskingum added a run in the first and two more in the second to cut the lead to 4-3 before ONU struck back with three runs in the top of the third.

Hampshire doubled and scored on an Eric Yunker RBI single, setting up Fleischman's second home run of the year to make it a 7-3 game.

After the Muskies picked up a run in the bottom of the inning, ONU added two more in the top of the fourth.

Hoelzel was hit by a pitch and eventually scored on an RBI single by Gibbons, the 150th hit of his career. Gibbons then scored as Hampshire added an RBI single of his own, pushing the lead to 9-4.

After Muskingum made it 9-5, Hoelzel tripled and scored on an error in the sixth to push the lead back to six.

Muskingum again answered with a single run in the bottom of the inning, which was answered as Katana drilled a leadoff homer, his fourth of the year, to make it 11-6.

In the eighth, Hoelzel doubled and scored on an Adam Yunker single. Gibbons then added his second double and third RBI of the game as he plated Yunker.

Senior Kevin Sigg picked up the win in relief by tossing 4.0 innings, allowing two earned runs and fanning five.

Hampshire finished the game 4-for-5 with a double and three RBIs and Hoelzel was a home run away from the cycle, going 3-for-5 with a double, triple and three runs. Gibbons and Adam Yunker each finished 3-for-5 as well, adding three and one RBI, respectively.

Katana went 3-for-7 to total 159 career hits, moving him into a tie for ninth all-time at ONU.

Gibbons completed the day 4-for-9, giving him 151 career hits, now tied for 12th in ONU history.

With his four hits, Fleischman now has 111 hits, 36th best all-time.

The Polar Bears will look to move their OAC record above .500 as they host Wilmington in a doubleheader at Wander Field Tuesday at 1 pm.