Belliveau, Matthaes hit home runs as No. 23 Baseball earns split at Marietta

By Tim Glon

MARIETTA — The No. 23-ranked Ohio Northern baseball team earned an Ohio Athletic Conference double header split at Marietta on Saturday at Pioneer Park.

The Polar Bears (23-7 overall, 9-5 OAC) won the second game of the day 6-4 after the Pioneers (18-12, 9-5) won the opener 13-0.

Senior Dan Belliveau and freshman Matthew Matthaes each hit home runs for Ohio Northern in Game 2.

Marietta scored twice in the bottom of the first frame to go up 2-0, but ONU answered with six consecutive runs.

Matthaes tied the game at 2-2 with a 2-run home run in the top of the second.

In the top of the fifth, freshman Brandon Kasberg started the inning with a leadoff double and went to third on an infield single by senior Jack LaMarca.

Kasberg then stole home on the back half of a double steal with LaMarca to give the Polar Bears a 3-2 lead.

Belliveau blasted a solo home run, his seventh of the season, to lead off the sixth and extend Northern's lead to 4-2.

Junior Nick Eltzroth followed with a double and scored on a single by freshman Jordan Bostater to make it 5-2.

In the top of the eighth, Northern got an insurance run on a bases loaded walk by Matthaes and ONU led 6-2.

The Pioneers got single runs in the eighth and ninth innings, but freshman T.J. Storer got out of both jams and recorded his third save of the season, pitching 2.1 innings of relief.

Senior Alex Crabtree improved to 5-0 with the victory, allowing only two runs in 6.2 innings of work.

In Game 1, Marietta scored six times in the bottom of the second inning and went on to the 13-0 win.

The Polar Bears are slated to return to action Sunday afternoon with a 2 pm non-conference contest against area-rival Bluffton at Wander Field.