Offensive balance helps Baseball defeat Oberlin 8-3 on the road

By Jay Garneau

OBERLIN - Ten different Polar Bear hitters notched a hit as the Ohio Northern baseball team defeated Oberlin 8-3 in a non-conference matchup Tuesday afternoon.

With the win, ONU improves to 24-10 on the year while the Yeomen fall to 18-19.

Junior Adam Yunker led ONU offensively, going 2-for-3 with a two-run single that gave the Polar Bears their first lead of the game, which they never surrendered.

After the Yeomen scored one run in the bottom of the first, Northern tied the game with a run in the top of the second when Eric Yunker, after a leadoff double, scored on an RBI groundout by junior Mike Hoelzel.

Oberlin answered with a run in the bottom of the frame before ONU scored six straight runs, including five in the top of the fourth, to take an 8-2 lead.

Senior Loren Fleischman and Hoelzel started the rally with singles before senior Matt Rader reached on an error. Adam Yunker then knocked a two-run single to score Fleischman and Hoelzel.

After an infield single by sophomore Matt Hampshire, senior Brett Katana cleared the bases with a three-run double to right center, giving the Polar Bears a 7-2 advantage.

Rader singled and came around to score on a groundout and two wild pitches in the sixth to make it an 8-2 game.

Oberlin made it 8-3 in the bottom of the eighth with a solo homer by Brandon Cantrill.

Sophomore Ryan Damman improved to 5-3 on the year by tossing six innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out three batters. Sophomore Cody Fisher also threw a perfect inning in relief for ONU.

With two hits, Fleischman now has 118 in his career, 32nd in ONU history.

Katana's double gives him 162 career hits, just one away from a tie for seventh all-time.

The Polar Bears are back in action tomorrow as they make up a rained-out Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader with Mount Union at Wander Field at 2 pm. The team will also celebrate Senior Day

Ohio Northern currently sits tied for fourth in the OAC and is in contention for the program's first berth in the OAC Tournament since 2000. ONU holds an 8-6 OAC record and is in fourth place, just ahead of Muskingum (9-7) and just behind John Carroll (9-5), who ONU will play on Saturday to end the regular season.