Knapschaefer strikes out 11, Armstrong homers twice, Webb joins 100-Hit Club in Baseball’s doubleheader sweep of Capital

By Wes Mayberry

COLUMBUS — Senior Tim Knapschaefer (Maria Stein/Marion Local) tallied 11 strikeouts and freshman Chase Armstrong (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) added a pair of homers to highlight the Ohio Northern baseball team's 12-4, 19-6 doubleheader sweep of Capital on Sunday at Clowson Field.

The Polar Bears improve to 22-10 overall and 10-4 in the Ohio Athletic Conference while dropping the Comets to 6-24, 0-14.

Sunday's doubleheader was postponed from Saturday due to inclement weather.

Knapschaefer finished two strikeouts shy of his single-game career high. He gave up just one earned run on three hits and two walks over five innings and earned the victory in Game 1 to improve to 3-2 on the season.

The Polar Bear offense tallied 15 hits in the game led by three each from senior Nate Webb (Bath, Ind./Union County) and freshman Robbie Reed (Goshen, Ky./Trinity).

Northern hit four doubles and got a team-best three RBIs from Webb, who became the 71st member of ONU's 100-Hit Club.

Webb added a hit in Game 2, giving him 103 for his career. He is also tied for ninth all-time with 18 career home runs.

A pair of ONU errors helped CU score the game's first run, but the Polar Bears answered with an eight-run second inning highlighted by 2-RBI doubles from sophomore Andrew Stechschulte (Findlay), fifth-year senior Corey McMann (Flower Mound, Tex./Liberty Christian) and Webb.

Sophomore Hunter Kauser (Paulding) and senior Jacob Wenning (Coldwater) added RBI singles in the frame.

An RBI double from Kielan Lamarr cut the CU deficit to 8-2 in the bottom of the second before ONU added a run in each of the third and fourth innings and two more in the sixth for a 12-2 edge.

The Comets capped the scoring with a two-run ninth.

Northern posted 16 hits in Game 2, which was highlighted by Armstrong's two home runs as part of a three-hit outing.

His bombs, both solo shots, came in the second and seventh innings.

That marked Armstrong's third multi-homer game of the season. He now has seven home runs this season.

ONU added seven doubles, including two from Stechschulte, and got a team-high three RBIs from Wenning.

Ten different Polar Bears recorded at least one hit in the game, and sophomore Sam Harrison (Perrysburg/St. Francis de Sales) tallied a team-high four runs.

Senior Jack Hutchins (Bright, Ind./East Central) earned the win on the mound to improve to 5-2 on the season. He allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out seven over six innings.

ONU plated four runs in each of the third and fourth frames as part of building a 9-2 lead.

Leading 10-2, Northern added four runs in the seventh and five more in the eighth en route to the victory.

The Polar Bears return to action on Tuesday hosting Wittenberg at 4 p.m.