Jack LaMarca hits for the cycle for second time this season to lead No. 23 Baseball in 19-6 victory over Bluffton

By Tim Glon

ADA -- Senior Jack LaMarca hit for the cycle for the second time this season, leading No. 23-ranked Ohio Northern to a 19-6 victory over area rival Bluffton Sunday afternoon at Wander Field.

The Polar Bears improve to 24-7, while the Beavers fall to 19-13.

The game was called after six innings due to rain.

LaMarca was 4-for-5 with 3 RBI, 5 runs scored and two singles, a double, a triple and a home run.

He doubled in the first, hit a 2-run home run in the second, singled in the fourth and tripled in the sixth.

He also hit for the cycle in ONU's 17-3 victory over Northland (Wis.) on March 2 in Fort Myers, Fla.

Senior Dan Belliveau went 3-for-5 with 3 RBI, freshman Jordan Bostater went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI, freshman Brandon Kasberg was 2-for-4 with 4 RBI and senior Brady Foley was 2-for-3 with 3 runs scored as part of ONU's 18-hit attack.

Northern struck quickly as its first three batters in the bottom of the first had base hits.

A leadoff double by Foley, a double by LaMarca and a single by freshman Dan McMullen staked ONU to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

LaMarca's 2-run home run keyed a 6-run second inning for the Polar Bears.

Freshman Hayden Shenefield led off with a double and scored on a ground out by Kasberg to get the rally started.

After LaMarca's home run made it 5-0, McMullen singled, Belliveau doubled to make it 6-0, junior Nick Eltzroth tripled to make it 7-0 and Bostater singled to m ake it 8-0.

Northern plated three more runs in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single by Belliveau, a sac fly by Eltzroth and an RBI single by Bostater.

ONU blew the game wide open with a 7-run sixth inning.

Sophomore Devin Carr (3-2) earned the win.

The Polar Bears will return to action Tuesday with a game at Case Western Reserve and the Cleveland Indians' Progressive Field.