Eagles Leave GVSU With Baseball Win, Tie
April 7, 2003

Complete Box Scores
Game 1     Game 2

When it comes to bench strength, the Ashland University baseball team might be the equal of even the Supreme Court.

Sunday (Apr. 6) at Grand Valley State, the Eagles got major contributions from the bench. Extra help from extra players made the difference as AU shaded the Lakers, 6-5 in 10 innings and then held on for a 4-4 eight-inning tie in the second game.

Sophomore lefthander Ryan Douglas was one of the bench players to excel in both ends of the twinbill. In the first game he got the win, hurling 2 2/3 innings. He gave up a run on one hit with a walk and three strikeouts.

In the second game, Douglas pitched three innings. He didn’t allow a run or hit while walking two and striking out two. Douglas is 2-2.

AU and GVSU were scheduled to play four games over the weekend. The Saturday games were snowed out and that meant that two of the GLIAC’s best teams would only play two regular season games. The two could, however, meet in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic postseason tournament. This is the first year for that event, which will bring together the top four teams from the league in a double-elimination tournament on the regular season champ’s home diamond.

In Sunday’s first game, the teams were tied, 4-4 after seven frames. AU went in front, 5-4 in the top of the ninth on a homer by sophomore Richie Jones. Jones wasn’t in the starting lineup – he came into the game in place of freshman David Waters. The homer was his first of the season.

GVSU tied the score in the bottom of the ninth. In the top of the 10th, junior Eric McDaniel pounded his fourth homer of the campaign to put the Eagles in front, 6-5. The shot came off of David Olson (0-1).

Senior shortstop Tim Hinchliffe was 3-for-5 with two doubles and junior outfielder Brandon Cornell was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Senior righthander Ryan Hartzell started for AU and went 7 1/3 innings, allowing four runs, two earned, on six hits. Hartzell had nine strikeouts and five walks.

Senior Jon Krugman drew the starting mound assignment in the second game. He struggled with his control, giving out six free passes in 4 2/3 innings. Krugman was touched for six hits and four runs. He had seven strikeouts.

Krugman left in favor of senior righty Nate Wright. Wright got one out and then turned the pitching chores over to Douglas. GVSU didn’t get a hit off of Wright or Douglas.

Ashland scored all four of its runs in the sixth inning. AU managed three hits off of Matt Rafeld. Cornell had a double and seniors Adam Whetstone and Brock Wiskochil had singles.

The game was called due to darkness after eight innings.