Spears, Wenning spark Baseball to doubleheader sweep of Muskingum
By Wes Mayberry
ADA — Freshman Ethan Spears (Oregon/Clay) and junior Jacob Wenning (Coldwater) combined for 14 hits, including three home runs, and nine RBIs to lead the Ohio Northern baseball team to a doubleheader sweep of Muskingum on Friday at Wander Field.
The Polar Bears (13-15 overall, 4-6 OAC) won 11-10 in Game 1 and defeated Muskingum (11-15 overall, 1-9 OAC) 23-13 in Game 2, which was shortened to eight innings due to darkness.
Spears paced the Polar Bear offense on the day, going 8-for-10 at the plate with two home runs, three doubles and five RBIs in the two games.
Wenning was 6-for-11 at the plate and tallied a home run, three doubles and four RBIs.
Senior Chayten Overholt (Delphos/Lincolnview) had a milestone day, recording his 100th career hit in Game 2 as he became the 69th member of ONU's 100-Hit Club. He finished the game with a pair of doubles and three RBIs.
Northern finished the day with a combined 39 hits.
The Polar Bears jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first game of Friday's doubleheader, getting an RBI single from junior Nate Webb (Bath, Ind./Union County) in the first inning and adding four more runs in the second, which was highlighted by a 2-RBI single from sophomore Dakota Durick (New Castle, Ind.).
The Muskies had an answer, though, as a solo homer from Tyler Arter in the top of the fourth sparked a 7-0 rally for a 7-5 lead after a six-run fifth.
A solo homer from Wenning in the bottom of the fifth brought ONU within one, and sophomore Logan Stevens (Plain City/Jonathan Alder) tied the score with an RBI double in the sixth.
Northern plated two more sixth-inning runs via a Muskingum error and added another in the seventh on an RBI single from senior Sam Zeleznik (Hinckley/Highland) for a 10-7 lead.
After the Muskies tied the score with three runs in the top of the eighth, ONU answered with what proved to be the winning run in the bottom of the frame courtesy of an RBI double from Webb.
Zeleznik finished with a team-high four hits in the game, and Stevens, Webb and Spears added three each.
Durick, Stevens and Webb all finished with a team-leading two RBIs for Northern.
Sophomore Hayden Heche (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) got the win on the mound for ONU and recorded four strikeouts over 4.2 innings in relief.
The Polar Bears out-hit the Muskies 20-12 in Game 2 and never trailed after building a 6-2 lead in the first inning.
The six-run opening frame was sparked by a two-run homer from Spears and a 2-RBI double from Wenning.
Northern led 18-4 after seven innings before Muskingum rallied for nine runs in the top of the eighth to cut the deficit to five.
The Polar Bears responded with five more runs in the bottom of the eighth before the game was called due to darkness.
Spears finished the game 5-for-5 at the plate with two home runs, two doubles and five RBIs.
Wenning added four hits, including three doubles, and had three RBIs.
Junior Tim Knapschaefer (Maria Stein/Marion Local) got the pitching start and earned the win in Game 2 to improve to 2-4 on the season. He allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out six over five innings.
The Polar Bears return to action on Wednesday as they travel to No. 9 Baldwin Wallace for an OAC doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
