Baseball notches 20 hits in 18-10 win over SUNY Cobleskill

By Wes Mayberry

AUBURNDALE, Fla. — The Ohio Northern baseball team put together an offensive explosion on Monday, tallying 20 hits, including four home runs, in an 18-10 win over SUNY Cobleskill at Lake Myrtle Park.

The Polar Bears improve to 5-3 overall while dropping the Fighting Tigers to 1-3.

Fifth-year senior Corey McMann (Flower Mound, Tex./Liberty Christian), senior Nate Webb (Bath, Ind./Union County) and juniors Logan Stevens (Plain City/Jonathan Alder) and Corey Jeanor (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) all hit home runs for ONU as part of eight extra-base hits on the day.

Stevens, sophomore Andrew Stechschulte (Findlay) and freshman Robbie Reed (Goshen, Ky./Trinity) finished with a team-high three hits each for Northern.

Stechschulte tallied a team-best four runs.

Stevens, Reed and sophomore Joey Kennedy (Sterling Heights, Mich./Foley Catholic) had a team-best three RBIs each.

Logan Firment led Cobleskill with two hits and four RBIs.

The Tigers finished with nine hits in the game and took an early 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, which was highlighted by a two-run double from Firment.

A two-run homer from Jeanor got the Polar Bears on the scoreboard in the top of the second, but Cobleskill extended its lead to 8-2 in the third.

Webb's solo home run in the fourth inning started an ONU rally that included a four-run sixth frame.

Reed, Kennedy and Stevens all had RBI hits in the sixth to cut the ONU deficit to one, 8-7.

The Tigers added a run in the bottom of the sixth before Northern took the lead for good courtesy of a five-run seventh that was highlighted by a 2-RBI double from sophomore Sam Sells (Lewis Center/Olentangy Orange).

Reed and senior Jacob Wenning (Coldwater) also had RBI hits in the inning.

Kennedy added a two-run double in the eighth to go with a two-run homer from Stevens and a solo shot from McMann that gave ONU a 17-9 lead.

Cobleskill reached double-digit runs with an RBI double from Logan Hutter in the bottom of the eighth before Northern capped the scoring on an RBI single from Reed in the ninth.

Senior Austin Mathews (Washington Court House/Miami Trace) earned the win on the mound for ONU, throwing 2.1 relief innings and allowing one run on one hit and two walks while striking out two.

The Polar Bears return to action on Tuesday for a doubleheader against Utica (N.Y.) beginning at 2:45 p.m. as they continue their Spring Break schedule.