Baseball splits OAC double header with Mount Union at Wander Field

By Tim Glon

ADA -- Ohio Northern and Mount Union split an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Wander Field.

The Polar Bears (14-2 overall, 3-1 OAC) ran their win streak to 13 games by winning Game 1 6-1.

The Purple Raiders (10-7, 1-3) won the nightcap 5-4.

In Game 1, junior Nick Eltzroth improved to 5-0 on the mound, allowing just two hits and one unearned run in eight innings or work.

Northern got on the board in the bottom of the first when junior Andy Lubonovic singled and scored on a single by senior Jack LaMarca.

Freshman Jordan Bostater then singled home LaMarca to make it 2-0 and freshman Dan McMullen singled home senior Dan Belliveau to make it 3-0.

Northern tacked on three insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI single by Bostater, an RBI double by McMullen and an RBI ground out by junior Nick Guitar.

McMullen finished the game 3-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI.

In Game 2, Mount Union scored an unearned run in the top of the seventh to snap a 4-4 tie and got out of a bases loaded jam in the eighth to hang on for the win.

ONU scored three times in the bottom of the first to take a 3-2 lead.

Freshman Hayden Shenefield started the rally with a 1-out bloop double down the right field line and LaMarca followed with a single to center to put runners on the corners.

He scored on a ground out by Belluveau to pull ONU within 2-1.

Belliveau tied the game a heads up running play, going from first to third on a ground ball by Eltzroth and scoring on a throwing error.

Bostater then singled home Eltzroth to put Ohio Northern up 3-2.

Belliveau tied the game at 4-4 when he scored on a throwing error after an infield single by Eltzroth.

Sophomore Devin Carr (2-1) picked up a tough luck loss, allowing just one hit and one unearned run in 7.0 innings of relief.

Trailing 5-4, Northern loaded the bases with two out in the bottom of the eighth, but a hot smash by freshman pinch-hitter Braydon Focht was fielded cleanly at third base to end the inning.

The Polar Bears will return to action Tuesday with a 6 pm contest at Denison.