Baseball gets 11-3 rout to split doubleheader at Albion (Mich.)

By Wes Mayberry

ALBION, Mich. — The Ohio Northern baseball team tallied 16 hits in an 11-3 rout of Albion (Mich.) in Game 2 of a doubleheader on Sunday at Frank Joranko Field.

The offense came alive for the Polar Bears (3-7 overall) in Game 2 after they fell 5-2 to the Britons (4-7 overall) in the first game of the doubleheader.

After a scoreless first inning in the second game, ONU tallied two runs in the second, three in the third, two in the fourth and one more in the fifth to take a commanding 8-0 lead.

An RBI double from freshman Ethan Spears (Oregon/Clay) highlighted the scoring in the second inning, and the Polar Bears opened the third frame with three consecutive singles from juniors Nate Webb (Bath, Ind./Union County) and Jacob Wenning (Coldwater) and senior Chayten Overholt (Delphos/Lincolnview).

Overholt's single brought Webb home, and ONU added two more runs in the inning.

Senior Corey McMann (Flower Mound, Tex./Liberty Christian) led off the top of the fourth with a double and later scored on an Albion error as part of the two-run frame.

McMann plated the fifth-inning run on a one-out single after freshmen Sam Harrison (Perrysburg/St. Francis de Sales) and Joey Kennedy (Sterling Heights, Mich./Foley Catholic) led off the frame with consecutive singles.

Northern added two more runs in the top of the seventh via a triple from Wenning for a 10-0 lead.

Sophomore Noah Truax (Lewis Center/Bishop Watterson) pitched six shutout innings before the Britons were able to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh with a pair of runs.

Truax allowed the two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out six over 6.1 innings to earn the win and improve to 2-1 on the season.

The Polar Bears added a run in the top of the eighth, and Albion closed the scoring with a run in the bottom of the ninth.

McMann and Wenning finished with a team-high three hits in the game, and Wenning and Overholt tied for the team lead in RBIs with two each.

In Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader, the Polar Bears out-hit the Britons 7-4 but were unable to come away with the victory.

Northern took a 2-1 lead into the sixth inning, but the Britons plated three runs in the bottom of the frame and added one more in the seventh to secure the 5-2 win.

Wenning recorded a double and a single in the game, and Kennedy added two singles to pace the ONU offense.

Senior Sam Zeleznik (Hinckley/Highland) and sophomore Dakota Durick (New Castle, Ind.) each tallied a single and an RBI.

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

The Polar Bears have a quick turnaround as they are set to host Albion for another doubleheader on Monday.