Eagles Begin Florida Trip With Split
March 7, 2003

The Ashland University baseball team stepped on a field for the first time this season on Friday (Mar.7) in Fort Myers, FL. The Eagles went 1-1, which isn’t bad considering that until Friday, the only live pitches they saw were snowballs rather than fastballs.

This is the first time in AU head coach John Schaly’s six-year tenure with the Eagles that AU hasn’t been able to play or practice before heading south. That was a major cause of concern for Schaly when the Eagles departed for the Sunshine State on Thursday.

From the looks of things, the Eagles have some rust to get rid of, but all in all, things aren’t so bad. AU opened the season with a 6-0 win over Mansfield, always one of the top teams in the Pennsylvania Conference. In Friday’s second game, AU dropped a 10-6 decision to Salem International.

Senior righty Jon Krugman silenced the Mansfield bats in a route-going performance. Krugman was touched for three hits in seven innings. He walked two and fanned eight. Junior catcher Josh Gaub backed Krugman with a 3-for-4 day that included a pair of doubles and two RBI. Senior third baseman Chris Skibinski was 3-for-3 with an RBI and senior first baseman Butch Kaufman knocked in a run while going 2-for-4 with a double.

Salem outhit the Eagles, 10-7. The West Virginia outfit scored four runs in the fifth inning to break a 4-4 tie. Taking the loss was Ryan Douglas. The sophomore lefty was pitching in relief. The Eagles started Skibinski, but he couldn’t escape the first inning. He pitched two-thirds of an inning.

Senior catcher-designated hitter Brock Wiskochil was 2-for-4 and drove in four runs. Sophomore infielder Adam Wilson had a double.

Saturday, AU will meet South Dakota at 7 p.m.