Baseball keeps hot streak going with 8-1, 9-7 sweep at Muskingum

By Tim Glon

NEW CONCORD — The Ohio Northern baseball team continued its winning ways with an 8-1, 9-7 sweep at Muskingum on Saturday at Mose Morehead Field.

The Polar Bears (16-13 overall, 15-10 Ohio Athletic Conference) have now won four straight and 13 of their last 15 games.

The Muskies fall to 7-14-1, 7-12-1.

Northern pounded out 14 hits in the opener, led by 3-for-5 efforts by senior Krue Thwaits (Greenville/Milton-Union) and junior Chayton Overholt (Van Wert/Lincolnview).

ONU scored four times in the third frame, ignited by a solo home run by Thwaits.

Senior Nate Bye (Thorntown, Ind./Western Boone) threw a complete-game 5-hitter, striking out four, to earn the win and improve to 3-2 on the season.

In the nightcap, ONU built a 6-2 lead and held on for a 9-7 victory.

Senior Corey McMann (Flower Mound, Tex./Liberty Christian) went 2-for-5 with a 2-run home run in the top of the ninth that proved to be the difference in the game.

McMann's big fly gave ONU a 9-4 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, but the Muskies rallied for three runs in the home half of the frame.

MU had four consecutive batters reach base with two out before senior Devin Johnson (Wooster) got a strikeout to end the game and pick up his fifth save of the season.

Sophomore Austin Mathews (Washington Court House/Miami Trace) threw 3.1 innings of shutout relief to earn the win on the hill and improve to 2-0 on the year.

The two teams will wrap up their 4-game series on Sunday with a double header in Ada at Wander Field at 1 pm.