Baseball ends spring break trip with 6-3 loss to Mitchell (Conn.)

By Wes Mayberry

AUBURNDALE, Fla. — The Ohio Northern baseball team wrapped up its spring break trip Sunday with a tight 6-3 loss to Mitchell (Conn.) in the RussMatt Invitational at Lake Myrtle Park.

The Polar Bears fall to 2-6 overall while the Mariners improve to 5-4.

ONU got the scoring started in the top of the second inning after junior Jacob Wenning (Coldwater) hit a leadoff single. Wenning advanced to second on an error and to third on a passed ball before coming home to score on a one-out single from sophomore Dakota Durick (New Castle, Ind.).

Mitchell tied the score at 1-all in the bottom of the third inning and added another run in the fourth frame.

The Mariners extended their lead 5-1 with a 3-run seventh inning highlighted by a 2-RBI double from Lelo Martinez.

Both teams scored a run in the eighth inning.

Northern manufactured its run after senior Chayten Overholt (Delphos/Lincolnview) led off by reaching on an error. He later came home to score on a one-out wild pitch.

Trailing 6-2, the Polar Bears got off to a good start in the top of the ninth inning with senior Corey McMann (Flower Mound, Tex./Liberty Christian) getting hit by a pitch and junior Nate Webb (Bath, Ind./Union County) following with a single to put runners on first and third.

Wenning scored McMann with a sac fly before Mariner relief pitcher Sam Majewski got Overholt to line into a game-ending double play.

Durick tallied a team-high two hits for ONU.

Junior Tim Knapschaefer (Maria Stein/Marion Local) got the pitching start for the Polar Bears, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and four walks while striking out four over four innings.

Northern returns to action on Saturday for a doubleheader at Albion (Mich.).