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Eagles Complete
Baseball Sweep at Wayne State |
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As is the case every April, the month begins with April Fool’s Day. That’s a time for amusement.
Late April in college baseball is a time to get serious. If the results of this last weekend are any indication, the Ashland University Eagles are done joking around. Sunday (Apr. 7), the Eagles completed a four-game sweep at Wayne State, downing the Warriors, 8-1 and 12-3. AU began the day tied for first in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with Grand Valley State. AU holds the edge in the tiebreaker with the Lakers. The GLIAC regular season is down to the final week. AU plays two games at Mercyhurst this week and then hosts Saginaw Valley State next weekend in a four-game series. The Eagles struggled at times early in the season, but right now, AU looks to be at the top of its game. Ashland has won six consecutive GLIAC games. The Eagles are 30-15-1, 17-6-1 in league play. In Sunday’s first game, the Eagles squared off against one of the conference’s top pitchers in Randy Surratt. AU was able to get to the WSU ace early, scoring once in the second inning and then breaking loose for six runs in the third. Junior third baseman Eric McDaniel and senior designated hitter Brock Wiskochil had two-run singles in the third. Surratt (5-4) departed after three innings of work, allowing seven runs on five hits. He walked three and struck out two. McDaniel was 3-for-4 with two RBI and senior first baseman Chris Skibinski was 2-for-3 and drove in a run. While Surratt was struggling, AU was getting another workmanlike performance from senior righthander Nate Wright. Wright tamed the Warriors on six hits. He walked one and struck out five in hurling his fifth complete game of the season. The win ups his record to 9-2. The second game saw AU score four times in the second and add three runs in the third for a commanding 7-1 advantage after three innings. Junior catcher Josh Gaub belted his second homer of the season while going 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and three RBI. Wiskochil, junior center fielder Brandon Cornell and sophomore second baseman Adam Wilson were 2-for-3 and senior first baseman Butch Kaufman was 2-for-4. Wilson had a pair of doubles. Ashland collected 14 hits and that was plenty of support for Skibinski, who started and went six innings. The righty is 5-2. He gave up three runs, two earned, on three hits. He walked two and struck out four. Chad Moore finished up with a scoreless seventh inning. Moore didn’t allow a hit. Starter Doug Brooks (4-3) lasted 3 1/3 innings and took the loss. Wayne State is 18-21, 8-11 in the GLIAC. |
