Baseball hits 4 home runs in 12-11 victory over Trine (Ind.)

By Wes Mayberry

ADA — Senior Corey McMann (Flower Mound, Tex./Liberty Christian), juniors Nate Webb (Bath, Ind./Union County) and Jacob Wenning (Coldwater) and sophomore Logan Stevens (Plain City/Jonathan Alder) each hit a home run Tuesday as the Ohio Northern baseball team defeated Trine (Ind.) 12-11 at Wander Field.

The Polar Bears improve to 7-9 overall on the season while Trine falls to 5-10.

Wenning was the first Polar Bear to homer in the game, hitting a no-doubter off his bat over the left-field fence for a two-run shot in the third inning to give ONU a 4-2 lead.

The fifth inning saw Stevens hit a three-run homer and Webb hit a two-run shot to help Northern take a 10-6 edge.

Those homers were part of a six-run inning in which ONU sent 11 batters to the plate.

McMann followed in the seventh with a solo homer that hit the scoreboard in left field, putting Northern up 12-9.

Trine scored a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning, cutting the deficit to 12-11, but was unable to tie the score in the ninth as freshman pitcher Blake Peterson (Belle Center/Benjamin Logan) earned his third save of the season.

With two outs in the top of the ninth, Trine's Brenden Warner was hit by a pitch and was pulled for pinch runner Tyler Drope, who was then caught stealing by freshman catcher Andrew Stechschulte (Findlay) for the final out.

The Thunder led twice in the game — 2-0 in the top of the first inning and 6-5 in the top of the fifth — but, sparked by the home runs, ONU had an answer each time.

McMann and senior Chayten Overholt (Delphos/Lincolnview) tied for the team lead with three hits each for the Polar Bears. Two of Overholt's hits were doubles.

Stevens finished with a team-high four RBIs.

Junior Jack Hutchins (Bright, Ind./East Central) got the win on the mound for ONU, improving to 2-0 on the season.

The Polar Bears have a quick turnaround as they return to action on Wednesday for a 4 p.m. game at Ohio Wesleyan.