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Baseball Eagles Turn
18 – Twice – On Thursday |
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For most parents – and children – turning 18 once is enough. Ashland University baseball coach John Schaly watched his team do it twice in one day and loved every minute of it. Thursday (Mar. 13), the Eagles swept a twinbill from Southern New Hampshire, 18-9 and 18-2. Ashland pounded out 27 hits in the two games and as a team is hitting .389. The Eagles are 7-4. “We’re swinging the bats great,” said Schaly. “From top to bottom, all the way through the lineup, everyone is hitting.” In Thursday’s first game, senior Butch Kaufman was 3-for-5 with a triple. Junior outfielder Brandon Cornell was 2-for-3 with two homers and seven RBI. He belted a grand slam. Sophomore infielder Adam Wilson went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBI and junior catcher Josh Gaub was 2-for-2 with a triple. Sophomore righthander Matt Pignato went five innings to get the win in the first game. He struck out seven and walked two. Pignato, who’s 1-1, was touched for eight runs, three earned. Sophomore Justin Halpin took the mound for the last two innings. In the second game, senior infielder Tim Hinchliffe was 2-for-3 and drove in three runs. Rookie outfielder David Waters was 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBI. Bryce Bednarczyk, a junior lefty, gave AU seven quality innings in the nightcap. He pitched a two-hitter with five walks and 11 strikeouts. Bednarczyk allowed only one earned run. “He pitched a great game,” said Schaly. “We needed a complete game, that helped our staff.” Ashland was to play twice on Friday, meeting Bemidji State in the afternoon and Stonehill in the evening. |