COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Mount Union baseball team (15-3) swept the Capital Comets (11-7) in a doubleheader held at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio. The Purple Raiders started Ohio Athletic Conference play with two strong victories in two high-scoring affairs.
In game one, junior left-hander
Luke Ickes (Green, OH / Green) made the start, pitching 4.0 innings of work with six strikeouts, allowing seven hits and six runs.
Junior right-handed pitcher
Drew Gernert (Mequon, WI / Homestead) earned his second win of the season, going 5.0 innings with five strikeouts, allowing five hits and two runs.
Capital went up early in the first inning, 2-0, highlighted by an RBI single by third baseman Ty Clifton. In the fourth inning, sophomore outfielder
Derek Curry (Pittsburgh, PA / West Allegheny) hit a three-run blast to right-center field to give the Purple Raiders the 3-2 lead. Curry had an amazing performance, going 3-4 with a walk on the day.
The Comets responded by scoring four runs in the fifth inning. However, the Purple Raiders narrowed the lead to 6-5 in the sixth inning, with one run scoring from a walk and another due to a wild pitch. In the seventh inning, senior outfielder
Chris Tsouras (Las Vegas, NV / Arbor) hit a three-run home run to right field, giving Mount Union an 8-6 lead. This was Tsouras's fifth home run of the season.
The Purple Raiders continued to excel, adding four more runs, highlighted by an RBI double from junior outfielder
Brycen Fox (Hamilton, OH / Badin). Capital added two more runs in the ninth, but Mount Union secured the 12-8 victory.
In game two, junior right-handed pitcher
Ty Dennison (Hudson, OH/Hudson) dominated on the mound, pitching 8.0 innings of work with eight strikeouts, allowing seven hits and four runs.
Mount Union got off to a strong start, leading 6-0. Ickes opened the game with an RBI double down the left field line, which was followed by an RBI single from Curry. In the fourth inning, sophomore shortstop
Daniel Tome III (Cleveland, OH / St. Edwards) contributed with an RBI single. He finished the day going 4-for-5 at the plate, along with a walk and three RBIs. Tsouras added to the scoring with a two-RBI single in the same inning.
The Purple Raiders entered the ninth inning with a 7-3 lead. Tome III hit a two-RBI double to right field, extending the Mount Union lead to 9-3. However, the Comets continued to fight back, scoring four runs in the ninth inning. Their rally was highlighted by a two-RBI single from left fielder Charlie Colson. Despite their efforts, the comeback fell short, as freshman right-handed pitcher
Logan Ellis (Lakewood, OH / Lakewood) closed out the game, pitching the final inning and securing a 9-7 victory for the Purple Raiders.
Mount Union returns to action tomorrow as they will play their first home games of the season at Rafeld-Rogers Field in a doubleheader against Case Western Reserve, with game one set to start at 1:00 PM.
