Baseball posts another split in offensive battle at Baldwin-Wallace

By: Jay Garneau

BEREA — The Ohio Northern baseball team pounded out 27 runs and 40 hits in a conference doubleheader split with Baldwin-Wallace at Heritage Field on Sunday afternoon.

After losing a tough 11-10 game in the opener, the Polar Bears rebounded to win the nightcap 17-12.

ONU moves to 16-12 overall and 3-7 in the Ohio Athletic Conference, while the Yellow Jackets are now 15-13 (3-7 OAC).

Northern was led offensively by junior Matt Hampshire (Lima/Elida), sophomore Cory Martin (Akron/Ellet) and senior Mike Hoelzel (Canfield).

Hampshire finished the day 7-for-11 with two doubles, a triple, six RBIs and five runs, while Martin went 6-for-11 with a pair of doubles, seven RBIs and five runs and Hoelzel was 5-for-10 with a double, triple, three RBIs, five runs and a sacrifice bunt.

In the opener, ONU jumped out to leads of 8-0 and 10-1, before the B-W offense battled back with ten runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Sophomore Austin Price (Tiffin/Columbian) pitched well once again, allowing one run for the third straight start. Price finished 5.0 innings, allowing just three hits and three walks, tallying seven strikeouts.

The Polar Bears once again came out swinging in the nightcap, scoring two or more runs in five of the first six innings.

Nine players had at least two hits in the game, including Hampshire, Martin, Hoelzel (four each) and sophomore Matt Holstein (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central), who went 3-for-5.

Junior Justin Good (Miamisburg) received the win to improve to 4-2 on the season.

Freshman Matt Magni (Hilliard/Bishop Ready) and sophomore Shane Parks (Boardman) pitched well in relief. Magni went 2.2 innings, allowing one unearned run on two hits and no walks, also striking out three batters.

Parks threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced.

Freshman Josh Murphy (Kettering Fairmont) and Holstein were also big parts of the offense, as Murphy went 4-for-9 with four RBIs and Holstein went 6-for-9 with two runs on the day.

The Polar Bears will be back in action on Tuesday as they travel to Otterbein for another OAC doubleheader, slated to begin at 1 p.m.