Big first inning not enough as Baseball falls to Thiel (Pa.) 12-8

By Steven Wright

AUBURNDALE, Fla. - The Ohio Northern baseball team scored four runs in the first and three runs in the ninth but could not pull off the victory, as No. 22 Thiel (Pa.) defeated the Polar Bears 12-8 at Lake Myrtle Park Friday afternoon.

Northern falls to 2-3 on the season, and Thiel improves to 6-1 on the year.

Matt Hampshire (4) Erik Stegman (3) and Loren Fleischman (1) drove in the eight Polar Bear runs.

Ohio Northern got off to a quick start in the top of the first inning with four runs thanks to five consecutive hits.

After a leadoff strikeout, Brandon Aselage, Brett Katana and Drew Robinson strung together three consecutive hits to load the bases.

Hampshire then hit a double down the right field line to score both Aselage and Katana.

Stegman followed with a double of his own to left center that scored Robinson and Hampshire.

Thiel answered immediately in the bottom of the first inning with five runs of its own and would never relinquish the lead.

Thiel starting pitcher Cory Borland then settled down and only allowed one run over the next six innings.

That Polar Bear run came in the third inning. Hampshire drew a one-out walk, and two batters later, Loren Fleischman tripled to right center to knock in the run.

With the scored tied 5-5, Thiel regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning 6-5, then broke the game open in the bottom of the seventh with six runs.

Neither team could muster a run in the eighth inning, but ONU tried to come back with three runs in the top of the ninth.

With one runner on and two outs, Robinson drew a walk before Hampshire knocked in his second two runs of the game on another double.

One batter later, Stegman hit a flare to right field that scored Northern's final run of the game.

Hampshire went 2-for-4 with two doubles, four RBIs and two runs scored, while Stegman went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBIs.

Robinson also had a multi-hit game for ONU, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.

Ohio Northern will wrap up its spring trip tomorrow with a doubleheader against Anna Maria (Mass.) at 9:30 am.