March 19, 2010
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Ohio Northern University baseball team scored two runs in the top of the seventh to take game one 10-9 before the Polar Bears completed the sweep with a convincing 13-2 win in the nightcap on Friday, March 19, 2010. ONU improved to 9-1 on the season, while the Beavers fell to 4-7.
ONU 10, Bluffton 9
Down 4-1 midway through the second inning, Bluffton took control with five runs on three hits in the home half of the frame. A Brennan Bauman (Milford) single, a walk to Stephen Torres (Lima/Juan Diego) and a pair of wild pitches put both runners in scoring postion with no outs. Matt Loudon (Lima/Bath) picked up Bauman with his RBI groundout before Nick Broyles (Toledo/Whitmer) pounded a three-run dinger down the right field line. One out later, Tyler Stephenson (Springfield/Northeastern) homered to right center, making the score 6-4.
The Polar Bears quickly fired back with three runs of their own in the top of the third. ONU rapped out three hits to take a 7-6 lead over the Beavers. Both teams added a run in the fifth before Bluffton went ahead 9-8 with two scores in the home sixth. Broyles again did the damage with a two-run shot to right center for his second home run of the game.
ONU responded with two unearned runs in the seventh and when the Beavers came up empty in the bottom of the frame, despite having the bases loaded with just one out, the visitors claimed a 10-9 win in game one.
Nick Broyles went 2-of-4 with five RBI and two home runs. Tyler Stephenson plated two runs and Ian Land (Troy, Mich./Athens) scored twice. Ryan Leugers (Botkins) started for the Beavers and gave up seven runs on seven hits in three inings of work. Cody McPherson (Northwood/Millbury Lake) dropped to 1-2 on the season after surrendering two runs in the seventh inning.
ONU 13, Bluffton 2
The Beavers managed just two runs on two hits in game two as ONU starter Justin Good went the distance while finishing with nine strikeouts. Land and Josh Runda (Lima/Bath) had the only Bluffton safeties in the fourth frame. The Polar Bears pushed runs across in every inning except the first, including three in the second and four in the fifth.
ONU pounded out 18 hits to complement Good's outstanding pitching performance and the Polar Bears took advantage of 10 Bluffton errors on the day. Jordan Kruse (Napoleon) fell to 0-1 on the year after giving up six runs on 10 hits in 3.2 innings on the mound.
Bluffton jumps right back into action when it travels to Thomas More College on Saturday, March 20. The first contest is slated to start at 12 p.m.
-BEAVERS-