Baseball wraps up spring break trip with 6-0 shutout against Ramapo (N.J.)

By Tim Glon

AUBURNDALE, Fla. — Three pitchers combined for a 3-hit shutout as the Ohio Northern baseball team wrapped up its spring break trip with a 6-0 victory over Ramapo (N.J.) on Sunday in the RussMatt Invitational at Lake Myrtle Park.

The Polar Bears improve to 8-4 on their current spring break trip and 10-5 overall, while The Roadrunners are now 6-4.

Senior Jack Hutchins (Bright, Ind./East Central) threw 5.2 shutout innings, allowing only two hits while striking out five, to earn the win and improve to 3-0 on the season.

Junior Kaidan Domer (Orrville) threw the final two innings without allowing a hit to earn his first save of the season.

Junior Austin Hunter (Canal Fulton/Northwest) threw 1.1 innings of one-hit shutout ball for ONU, relieving Hutchins with two outs in the sixth and maintaining Northern's 3-0 lead into the eighth frame for Domer to close it out.

Northern got off to a quick start, scoring twice in the bottom of the first inning.

Back-to-back RBI singles by senior Jacob Wenning (Coldwater) and Nate Webb (Bath, Ind./Union County) scored sophomore Sam Sells (Lewis Center/Olentangy Orange) and Corey McMann (Flower Mound, Tex./Liberty Christian).

In the bottom of the third, Wenning scored McMann with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.

That lead held until the bottom of the eighth when the Polar Bears added three unearned runs.

Northern used a pair of errors sandwiched around a hit batsman to load the bases with no one out.

Sophomore Hunter Kauser (Paulding) was then hit by pitch to score Wenning to make it 4-0.

One out later, freshman Robbie Reed (Goshen, Ky./Trinity) had a two-run single to score senior Vinny Sclafani (Oak Brook, Ill./Hinsdale Central) and Kauser to extend the lead to 6-0.

McMann, Webb and Sclafani each had two hits for ONU.

The Polar Bears are scheduled to return to action on Thursday at home against Denison.