Dan Belliveau records 100th career hit as Baseball closes spring trip with a pair of victories

By: Andrew Korba

FORT MYERS (Fla.) -- Junior Dan Belliveau recorded his 100th career hit as the Ohio Northern baseball team closed out its spring trip with a win over Dominican (Ill.) and a extra inning victory over North Park (Ill.) on Saturday at the Gene Cusic Classic.

The Polar Bears stand at 6-3 on the season after the trip.

Belliveau recorded his milestone hit in the fourth inning of the first game against Dominican (2-4), when he singled to third.

He finished the game 3-for-5 and is the 56th player in program history to record 100 career hits.

Sophomore Nick Eltzroth posted his second strong outing of the trip, firing seven shutout innings and striking out eight batters to move to 2-0 on the season.

Northern jumped in front in the second, on a sacrifice fly from senior Matt Magni that scored Belliveau.

ONU blew the game open in the sixth inning, scoring seven runs.

Junior Brady Foley reached on an error to lead off the inning and moved to second on a single by junior Jack LaMarca.

Belliveau followed with a single to load up the bases and sophomore Nick Guitar singled to score Foley, making the score 2-0 in favor of ONU.

Magni followed with a single that scored two more runs.

After a walk by sophomore Clay Small, junior Andy Lubonovic doubled to score two runs. A error on the play allowed Small to also score and advanced Lubonovic to third, expanding Northern's lead to 7-0.

Foley singled a few batters later to drive in Lubonovic and close out the scoring.

In the second game against North Park (2-4), the Polar Bears took a 5-4 lead in the eighth inning on a sac fly from Small.

North Park would tie the game in the ninth and load the bases with nobody out.

But sophomore Zach Maier induced a double play and a groundout to keep the game tied at 5-5.

In the 10th, Belliveau put ONU in front with his second homer of the season.

Sophomore Cody Meyer would single home another run and sophomore Reed Allen would hit a sac fly, giving Northern an 8-5 lead.

Maier would pitch a scoreless frame in the 10th to end the game.

North Park jumped on the board first in the fourth inning on a RBI double.

The Polar Bears plated three runs in the fifth to jump back in front, 3-1.

With two runners on, senior Tyler Deitering dropped down a bunt and an error by the pitcher allowed both runners to score.

After a hit batter, Foley hit a sac fly to score Deitering.

North Park came right back with three runs of its own in the bottom half of the fifth.

ONU plated a run to tie the game in the seventh, on a RBI single from LaMarca.

Foley finished the game with three hits, with Belliveau, LaMarca and Lubonovic each recording two.

Maier (1-1) pitched five innings in relief, striking out two batters and not surrendering an earned run.

Ohio Northern will return to action on Mar. 15, when it hosts Trine (Ind.) in a doubleheader at Wander Field at 1 pm.