Baseball churns out 16 hits in 17-3 win over Ohio Wesleyan

By Wes Mayberry

ADA — The Ohio Northern baseball team got the offense going early and often Thursday, turning 16 hits into a 17-3 win over Ohio Wesleyan at Wander Field.

The Polar Bears improve to 23-11 overall while dropping the Battling Bishops to 16-17.

Six of Northern's 16 hits went for extra bases.

The Polar Bears got two home runs from junior Corey Jeanor (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) and one each from freshman Eric Anton (Macomb, Mich./De La Salle Collegiate) and junior Derek Foe (Johnstown/Johnstown-Monroe) to go with a triple from junior Logan Stevens (Plain City/Jonathan Alder) and a double from fifth-year senior Corey McMann (Flower Mound, Tex./Liberty Christian).

Stevens and sophomore Andrew Stechschulte (Findlay) each finished with a team-high three hits on the day, and McMann and Foe had three RBIs apiece.

Stevens' 3-for-4 game put him at 97 career hits.

Zane Vitense and Blake Pettit had two hits each to lead OWU.

Trailing 1-0 in the first inning, ONU took a 2-1 edge on an RBI single from senior Jacob Wenning (Coldwater) and a sacrifice fly from senior Nate Webb (Bath, Ind./Union County).

Jeanor's first solo homer came in the second frame, and McMann added a sac fly in the third to put Northern up 4-1.

The Bishops tallied a run in each of the fourth and fifth innings to cut the deficit to 4-3, but the Polar Bears plated seven in the bottom of the fifth to take control.

The big inning was highlighted by a 2-RBI double from McMann and RBI singles from Stevens, Stechschulte and freshman Chase Armstrong (Louisville, Ky./Trinity).

Jeanor's second homer came in the sixth, and Anton and Foe added a two- and three-run bomb, respectively, in the seventh to cap the scoring.

Six Polar Bears pitched in the game and tallied a combined 11 strikeouts, led by four from sophomore starter Blake Peterson (Belle Center/Benjamin Logan) and three from junior Hayden Heche (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop).

Sophomore Blake Altaffer (Montpeiler) earned the win, improving to 6-0 on the season.

The Polar Bears return to action on Saturday hosting an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader against Mount Union beginning at 1 p.m.