Frey, Polar Bear defense lead Baseball in 4-2 victory over area-rival Defiance
By Caleb Scott
ADA — Junior Austin Frey (Peoria, Az./Sunrise Mountain) and a solid effort from the Northern defense led the Ohio Northern baseball team to a 4-2 victory over area-rival Defiance on Wednesday afternoon during an overcast and damp day at Wander Field.
With their second straight victory, the Polar Bears move to 12-6 overall, while the Yellow Jackets drop to 6-7.
Frey went seven innings and struck out four batters before sophomore Scott Beaton (Novi, Mich.) and senior T.J. Storer (Loveland/Moeller) combined to close the door. Storer earned his seventh save of the season in the victory.
Offensively, senior Brandon Kasberg (Mentor) was 2-for-3 with a run scored, while sophomore Phil Buckingham (Wayne/Elmwood) was also 2-for-3.
With junior Luke Klinehoffer (Zanesville/John Glenn) on base in the bottom of the third inning, senior Hayden Shenefield (Powell/Worthington Kilbourne) hit a single to left field to give ONU an early 1-0 lead.
After Defiance answered with a run in the top of the second inning, the Polar Bear defense settled in, allowing just one run the remainder of the game.
With the contest tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning, Kasberg and seniors Jordan Bostater (Bryan) and Dan Barna (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) scored following sacrifice flys from Shenefield and Klinehoffer and a single junior Caleb Thomas (Strongsville).
After Defiance added one more run in the top of the fifth inning, the combination of Beaton and Storer closed the door to seal the 4-2 victory.
Northern returns to action on Friday afternoon as it takes on the Crusaders of Capital and will play at Beaver's Field in Lancaster, Ohio with the first game of the twinbill beginning at noon.