Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 ALLIANCE, Ohio -- No. 18 ranked Mount Union scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning of game two for a 5-4 win to salvage a split with Ohio Northern Monday at 23rd Street in Alliance. The Polar Bears won the opener 7-3.
The split leaves Mount Union at 11-5 overall and 1-3 in the OAC while Ohio Northern is 13-4 overall and 3-1 in the OAC.
The Purple Raiders had stranded 10 runners and failed to take advantage of five Ohio Northern errors entering the bottom of the ninth trailing 4-2.
Mount Union opened the inning with back to back singles from Ricky Olasz (West Mifflin, Pa./West Mifflin) and Anthony Morino (Strongsville/Strongsville) when Lee Grosscup (Green/Green) put down a sacrifice bunt that Ohio Northern threw away for its sixth error and a run would score to bring the Raiders to within a run, 5-4. The next pitch was a wild pitch that scored pinch runner Scott Sherwood (Mentor/Mentor) and tied the game at 5-5. Grosscup moved up to third base on the play and scored the winning run on an Evan Knott (Canton/GlenOak) walk-off single to right field.
Over the two games, Knott had four hits and drove in three runs.
Brandon Bell (Strattonville, Pa./Clarion Limestone) picked up the win in relief for the Raiders.
Dan Belliveau had three hits and Brady Foley took the loss in relief for Northern.
In game one, Ohio Northern was spotted three unearned runs in the third inning to take a 3-0 lead.
Mount Union got a run back in the bottom of the third with an unearned run of its own that Knott drove in with a double.
The first three Polar Bear batters reached in the fifth and all three would eventually come around and score as Northern extended its lead to 6-1.
The Raiders made it 6-2 with a run in the fifth as Justin Jakubik (Strongsville/Strongsville) would drive in a run.
Mount Union would close the gap to 6-3 with a run in the eighth as Olasz drove in a run.
Ohio Northern would tack on a run in the ninth for the 7-3 final.
Nick Eltzroth moved to 3-0 on the mound for the Polar Bears as he went 6.2 innings and struck out four while allowing one earned run while Zach Maier got the save.
Sam Clarke allowed only three earned runs and struck out four over seven innnings and fell to 3-2 on the season for the Raiders.
Mount Union hosts Washington & Jefferson in a single nine-inning game Wednesday at 4 pm at 23rd Street Field in Alliance.
Ohio Northern 7, Mount Union 3 (Mar 31, 2014 at Alliance, Ohio) (Game 1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ohio Northern....... 003 030 001 - 7 8 3 (13-3, 3-0 OAC)
Mount Union......... 001 010 010 - 3 10 2 (10-5, 0-3 OAC)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Ohio Northern - Nick Eltzroth; Alex Crabtree(7); Zach Maier(9) and Clay Small.
Win-Nick Eltzroth(3-0) Save-Zach Maier(2) Loss-
Sam Clarke(3-2) T-2:25 A-84
Weather: 54 F Sunny
Crabtree faced 2 batters in the 9th.
Mount Union 5, Ohio Northern 4 (Mar 31, 2014 at Alliance, Ohio) (Game 2)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ohio Northern....... 101 001 001 - 4 11 6 (13-4, 3-1 OAC)
Mount Union......... 110 000 003 - 5 11 2 (11-5, 1-3 OAC)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Ohio Northern - Ben Glischinski; Nick Anloague(5); Chad Smith(6); Brady Foley(9) and
Weather: 57 F Sunny
Smith faced 1 batter in the 9th.
Foley faced 3 batters in the 9th.
