Belliveau extends hit streak to 18 games in Baseball's double header split with No. 18 Mount Union

By: Andrew Korba

ALLIANCE -- Junior Dan Belliveau extended his hit streak to 18 games as the Ohio Northern baseball team split a double header with No. 18-ranked Mount Union on Monday at 23rd Street Field.

Northern (13-4, 3-1) won the first game 7-3 and the Purple Raiders (11-5, 1-3) used a ninth inning rally to capture Game 2 by a 5-4 score.

Belliveau has now hit safely in every game this season and leads the team with a .406 batting average.

In Game 1, the Polar Bears scored three times in the third inning to jump out to a 3-0 lead.

Sophomore Cody Meyer laced a 1-out double to left and moved to third on a groundout.

Junior Brady Foley would reach on an error, scoring Meyer.

Junior Jack LaMarca and Belliveau both followed with RBI doubles.

Mount Union would respond with a run in the third, but ONU came back with three more runs in the fifth inning.

Foley had a RBI double in the inning, with LaMarca driving in a run on a groundout and Belliveau hitting a sac fly.

The Purple Raiders scored one run in the fifth and eighth inning, cutting the ONU lead to 6-3.

A RBI single by Meyer in the ninth gave Northern a insurance run and made the score 7-3.

Sophomore Nick Eltzroth went 6.2 innings, striking out four batters to pick up his third win of the season.

Sophomore Zach Maier recorded his second save by pitching a scoreless ninth.

In Game 2, ONU jumped out to an early lead in the first inning on a RBI double by Belliveau.

The Purple Raiders took the lead back at 2-1 with runs in the first and second.

ONU tied the game in the third inning on a RBI double by Matt Magni and took the lead back in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Andy Lubonovic.

Northern tacked on another run in the ninth on a RBI single from LaMarca that scored senior Tyler Deitering.

But Mount Union rallied and scored three runs in the ninth inning to grab the win.

Sophomore Ben Glischinski went four innings and senior Chad Smith fired three innings in relief, giving up one unearned run.

Ohio Northern will return to action on Tuesday, when it returns home to host Denison in a non-conference game at 4 pm.