Baseball opens 2025 season with 22-17 extra inning victory over Millikin (Ill.) at Derby City Classic in Louisville

Baseball opens 2025 season with 22-17 extra inning victory over Millikin (Ill.) at Derby City Classic in Louisville
Box Score
March 1, 2025

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Ohio Northern baseball team opened its 24-25 season with a neutral site 22-17 offesive showcase victory over Millikin (Ill.) in an extra inning battle on Saturday.

The Basics

  • Records: Ohio Northern (1-0 overall), Millikin (3-3 overall).
  • Venue: Derby City Field - Louisville, Ky.

Game Recap

  • Sophomore Evan Russ (Westfield, Ind.) led the Polar Bears' 21-hit offensive attack by going 5-6 at the plate with 4 RBI's and 3 runs scored.
  • Senior Chase Armstrong (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) kicked off the day in the top of the first with a two-run home run, scoring sophomore Kyle Callahan (Brunswick).
  • Millikin answered with 2 runs of its own in the bottom half of the 1st, and then 5 more runs in the bottom of the 2nd to go up 7-2.
  • Northern would bounce back in the third with six runs, led by a 3-run single by senior Andrew Stechschulte (Findlay), to regain the lead at 8-7.
  • Sophomore Kyler Lapp (Hall, Ill.) added one more with an RBI double, and ended up scoring later on in the inning on a passed ball making it 11-7 Northern.
  • Millikin would regain the lead with six runs in the bottom of the eighth to lead 16-13. 
  • Northern answered back in the top of the 9th with 4 runs, including a three-run home run by sophomore Devon Morris (Archbold).
  • The Big Blue stayed alive once again with a 2-out single to send the game to extras tied at 17-17.
  • After a scoreless 10th, the Polar Bears' bats would come alive one last time by scoring 5 runs led by another RBI single by Russ. 
  • The Northern defense would end the game with a 4-3 double play and secured the win at 22-17.
  • All 10 ONU hitters had base hits and six recorded multi-hit games.
  • Fifth-year senior Kaidan Domer (Orrville) picked up the win, throwing two scoreless innings in relief.
  • ONU out-hit MC 21-19.

Notables

  • This was the first meeting between the two schools. 
  • Stechschulte now has 87 base hits in 87 career games.
  • Armstrong now has 83 base hits in 75 career games.
  • Ohio Northern is in its 120th season of baseball. The Polar Bears are 1467-1154-20 all-time, a winning percentage of .559.
  • 14th-year head coach Gene Stechschulte is now 279-206 at Ohio Northern for a winning percentage of .575.

Up Next

  • The Polar Bears will wrap up the Derby City Classic on Sunday with an 11 am game with #17 Case Western Reserve and a 2:30 pm game against tournament host Spalding (Ky.)