Ashland Baseball Opens in Florida; Eagles Win Thursday, Friday Games
March 4, 2005

The Ashland University baseball team won the opening game of its spring trip Thursday night (March 3), tripping up Salem International, 8-4. The Eagles are playing in Fort Myers, FL. Friday (March 4) the Eagles won a pair of games, stopping Bridgeport, 11-1 and C.W. Post, 4-2. Ashland is 6-0, 3-0 on the spring trip.

The Eagles broke a scoreless tie with a pair of runs in the fourth inning of the SIU game. AU pushed across another run in the fifth and broke the game open with four runs in the sixth. The Eagles had a nine-seven edge in hits.

Todd Wells improved to 2-0 with six innings of solid work. Wells allowed one run on five hits. The junior lefty walked one and struck out six.

Lefty Matt Patton and sophomore righthander Josh Davidson worked the seventh inning. Davidson got the game’s final out, via a strikeout, to pick up the save. Patton, a sophomore, was charged with three runs, all unearned, in two-thirds of an inning.

Junior outfielder David Waters, sophomore infielder Casey Jirsa and junior infielder-pitcher Jim Barry banged out two hits apiece. Waters had a double and a triple and Jirsa had a double.

In some offices Fridays mean an early afternoon exit, but that’s not the case with the Ashland University baseball team. The Eagles are just getting to work.

Friday (March 4) in Fort Myers, the Eagles won a pair of games, stopping Bridgeport, 11-1 and C.W. Post, 4-2. Ashland is 6-0, 3-0 on the spring trip.

Against Bridgeport, junior David Waters, sophomore Ron Oneson and junior Ray Frisbee collected two hits apiece. Frisbee, who’s trying to nail down the starting catching job, drove in two runs. Ashland had 11 hits. That was plenty of support for freshman righthander Ryan Petrich, who pitched the front seven innings to record the victory.

The second game was tied, 2-2 going to the seventh inning. A pair of late runs gave the victory to senior righthander Todd Martinelli. He hurled seven innings and allowed two runs on five hits. Martinelli walked three and whiffed two. Sophomore Josh Davidson earned his second save in as many days with two scoreless innings. Davidson permitted one hit, didn’t walk a batter and had four strikeouts.

Junior infielder Jim Barry was 2-for-3 with a triple. Senior second baseman Adam Wilson and junior outfielder Troy Reeder were both 2-for-5. Wilson belted a double. Oneson was 1-for-4 with a pair of RBI.