Baseball begins 2009 season with 7-2 victory over Widener (Pa.)

By Tim Glon

KISSIMMEE -- Ohio Northern kicked off its 2009 baseball season with a solid 7-2 victory over Widener (Pa.) Monday afternoon at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex.

The Polar Bear are 1-0, while the Pride improves to falls to 1-3.

Justin Miller (1-0) was dominating on the mound for ONU, allowing only two hits and striking out 10 in 6 2/3 innings of work to earn the victory.

Brett Katana, Brandon Aselage and Adam Yunker each had good days at the plate.

Katana was 3 for 5 with a double, 3 RBI and a stolen base, Asalage was 2 for 3 with a double and three runs and Yunker was 2 for 4 with a run and a RBI.

Northern scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the second to take a quick 2-0 lead.

Greg Gibbons reached on an error and went to third on a single by Aselage. Back-to-back RBI ground outs by Drew Robinson and Katana scored the two runs.

Widener answered with a 2-run home run by Colin Keeler to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the second.

Northern regained the lead in the third when Aselage singled, stole second and scored on a seeing-eye single through the left side by Katana.

Adam Yunker had a two-out single in the top of the fourth to score Erik Stegman, who led off the inning with a double down the left field line, to give the Polar Bears a 4-2 lead.

Northern added three more runs in the top of the seventh to take a 7-2 lead. Adam Yunker led off the  inning with a single to left and Gibbons followed with a double down the left field line. Yunker scored on a passed ball and Aselage drew a walk and stole second to put runners back on second and third.

Robinson made it 6-2 with a RBI ground out and Katana drilled a single to center to finish the scoring in the inning.

Northern will continue action on Tuesday with a double header against Gwynedd-Mercy (Pa.) at 9 am at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex.