Webb’s home run sparks Baseball to 5-3 win at Trine (Ind.)

By Wes Mayberry 

ANGOLA, Ind. — Sparked by an early home run from senior Nate Webb (Bath, Ind./Union County), the Ohio Northern baseball team got a 5-3 win over Trine (Ind.) on Tuesday at Jannen Field.

The Polar Bears improve to 12-6 overall while dropping the Thunder to 9-9.

Webb got Northern on the scoreboard quickly, hitting a two-out, three-run homer in the top of the first inning.

The bomb to left field scored fifth-year senior Corey McMann (Flower Mound Tex./Liberty Christian) and senior Jacob Wenning (Coldwater), who had reached base via a single and an error, respectively.

The Thunder responded, though, scoring one run in each of the first, fourth and fifth frames to tie the score.

The Polar Bears retook the lead in the top of the sixth following a one-out walk drawn by freshman Chase Armstrong (Louisville, Ky./Trinity). Sophomore Andrew Stechschulte (Findlay) proceeded to hit a double down the left-field line that scored Armstrong from first.

ONU added an insurance run in the top of the ninth when junior Dakota Durick (New Castle, Ind.) scored on a Trine error.

The Thunder made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth following a one-out single from pinch hitter Brody Bond, who was subsequently replaced by pinch runner Cole Schmidthuber.

Schmidthuber advanced to second on a wild pitch and went to third on a groundout, but sophomore pitcher Vaughn Duncan (Springfield) was able to work out of the jam by inducing a game-ending groundout off the bat of Matthew Martin.

Duncan held the Thunder scoreless and recorded one strikeout over the final 1.1 innings to secure his sixth save of the season.

Sophomore Blake Altaffer (Montpelier) got the pitching start for ONU and improved to 2-0 on the season after allowing just one earned run on seven hits and one walk to go with four strikeouts.

Junior Kaidan Domer (Orrville) served as the bridge between Altaffer and Duncan, giving up just one hit in 1.2 scoreless innings on the mound.

Both teams finished with nine hits in the game.

Junior Logan Stevens (Plain City/Jonathan Alder) and sophomore Sam Harrison (Perrysburg/St. Francis de Sales) led ONU with two hits apiece, including a double.

Dalton Nikirk and Easton Rhodes had two hits each to lead Trine.

The Polar Bears return to action on Thursday when they host Bluffton at 4:15 p.m.