Strong pitching appearances powers Baseball to split with No. 5 Heidelberg

By: Jay Garneau

ADA — Behind excellent pitching, the Ohio Northern baseball team upset No. 5-ranked Heidelberg in the second game of an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader at Wander Field on Wednesday afternoon.

The Polar Bears won the second game 1-0 after dropping the opener by a 2-1 score, moving to 15-11 overall and 2-6 in the OAC. The Student Princes are now 23-5 overall (7-1 OAC).

Junior Cody Fisher (Helena/Gibsonburg) threw 7.2 scoreless innings in the nightcap, allowing four hits and striking out four batters to pick up the win and improve to 1-2.

Sophomore Shane Parks (Boardman) closed the game with 1.1 scoreless innings to pick up his sixth save of the season.

Senior Adam Yunker (Holland/Toledo Christian) finished the day 3-for-5 with two walks, a hit by pitch and scored the only two Polar Bear runs of the day to lead the ONU offense.

In the first inning of Game 2, Adam Yunker and sophomore Cory Martin (Akron/Ellet) walked and junior Matt Hampshire (Lima/Elida) was hit by a pitch, before junior Eric Yunker (Holland/Toledo Christian) hit an RBI fielder's choice to score his brother.

The Polar Bears shut down big scoring chances for Heidelberg in each of the final three innings.

After Derek Andrzejczak walked in the seventh, Andrew Buelow doubled to the wall in left center, but a perfect relay from Eric Yunker to Erik Stegman (Parma/Parma Senior) to Martin gunned Andrzejczak out at home.

In the eighth, a trio of walks loaded the bases for Heidelberg with two outs, but Parks forced a foul out to end the inning.

With one out in the ninth, the Student Princes had a single and double back-to-back to put runners on second and third.

Parks was able to force a pop out to get the second out and after an intentional walk, Heidelberg's Alex Monroe flew out to the center field wall to end the game.

With the bases loaded in the top of the sixth of the first game, Heidelberg's Jordan Martin drove a double to the wall to drive in a pair of runs and give Heidelberg a 2-0 lead.

After an Adam Yunker single in the top of the seventh, senior Mike Hoelzel (Canfield) drove a single into right field, which skipped past the right fielder and to the wall, allowing Yunker to score.

The Polar Bears were unable to get Hoelzel home, as Nathan James picked up the win to improve to 4-1 while Andy Lowe received his tenth save.

For ONU, sophomore Craig Leopold (Canton/Glen Oak) allowed two earned runs over 5.1 innings, while sophomore Austin Price (Tiffin/Columbian) tossed 1.2 innings in relief, allowing a hit and striking out three.

"It's great to finally get the monkey off our back," head coach Justin Bergman said. "Our pitching has done a great job all year and was able to hold a tough Heidelberg offense to two runs today."

ONU hits the road Saturday afternoon for an OAC contest at Baldwin-Wallace; first pitch is at 1 p.m.