Baseball splits doubleheader with Hamilton (N.Y.) on spring break trip

By Wes Mayberry

DAVENPORT, Fla. — The Ohio Northern baseball team split a doubleheader against Hamilton (N.Y.) on Friday as it continued its spring break trip at Northeast Regional Park.

The Polar Bears (8-5 overall) won the opener 11-0 before falling 1-0 to the Continentals (1-6 overall) in 11 innings in the second game. Both games were scheduled for seven innings of regulation play.

Senior Tim Knapschaefer (Maria Stein/Marion Local) and junior Logan Stevens (Plain City/Jonathan Alder) led the charge for Northern in Game 1 of Friday's doubleheader.

Knapschaefer pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and three walks while striking out 12 to improve to 1-1 on the season. His strikeout total was one shy of his career-high of 13, which he tallied last season.

Stevens finished with four hits and was a home run short of hitting for the cycle. His final stat line included a triple, double, two singles, four RBIs and a stolen base.

Fifth-year senior Corey McMann (Flower Mound, Tex./Liberty Christian) added a trio of singles and two RBIs.

Northern finished the game with 11 hits.

Ethan Harrast, Jack Griffin and Carter Chambers had one hit each for Hamilton.

After an RBI single from McMann in the bottom of the first inning, Northern padded its lead with a five-run second frame, which began with back-to-back singles from seniors Nate Webb (Bath, Ind./Union County) and Vinny Sclafani (Oakbrook, Ill./Hinsdale Central). The scoring was highlighted by a two-run single from Stevens and an RBI single from McMann.

An RBI double from Stevens put ONU up 7-0 in the fourth inning, and his RBI single in the fifth made it an 8-0 edge.

Sophomore Joey Kennedy (Sterling Heights, Mich./Foley Catholic) scored on a Hamilton error in the fifth, and freshman Robbie Reed (Goshen, Ky./Trinity) capped the scoring with a two-run single in the sixth.

Game 2 was a pitchers' duel that needed extra innings to decide.

Junior Noah Truax (Lewis Center/Bishop Watterson) allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out four over eight scoreless innings for ONU.

Hamilton starter Aidan Regan gave up four hits and one walk while striking out seven in 6.2 scoreless frames.

The Continentals finished with eight hits to Northern's five.

Kennedy had a team-best two hits for ONU.

Harrast and Taylor Kaufman had two hits each to lead Hamilton.

With junior reliever Kaidan Domer (Orrville) on the mound for ONU, the Continentals led off the bottom of the 11th inning with a single from Harrast.

A sac bunt from Greg Kopp moved Harrast to second base.

After an intentional walk was issued to Jackson Sattinger, a two-out single from Shane Dux loaded the bases.

Kaufman followed with the game-winning RBI single through the left side of the infield to secure the Continentals' first victory of the season.

The Polar Bears return to action on Saturday in Auburndale, Fla., for a 10 a.m. game against St. Scholastica (Minn.).