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No Breathing Room
for Eagles and Timberwolves Baseball Teams |
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Complete Box Scores Maybe Norelco should have been the game sponsor for Saturday’s (April 9) Northwood-Ashland baseball doubleheader. Close shaves were the order of the day for the Eagles and Timberwolves in this Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader. Ashland won the first game, 7-6 and the ‘Wolves prevailed in the following game, 2-1. These were the first two home games of the season for the Eagles. Ashland is 20-7 overall and 3-1 in the league. Northwood is 7-15 and 1-3. AU starter Ryan Petrich ran into early trouble in the first game. The Timberwolves scored four times in the first inning, using four hits and two walks to grab the early advantage. Petrich hurt himself by walking in a pair of runs. Petrich’s pitch count was rising like area gas prices and it appeared as if he would be in for a short work day. But the freshman quickly regrouped and after that rocky first inning, settled down. He pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits. The Eagles helped get the rookie off the hook with a persistent attack against starter and loser, Trent Mulder (1-3). First baseman Ron Oneson singled to drive in a run in the first and AU scored two more times in the third. Allen Ayers had a run-producing double and designated hitter Ray Frisbee contributed a sacrifice fly. The Eagles went ahead, 7-4 with a four-run uprising in the fifth inning. Ayers had a run-scoring single, Frisbee hit another sacrifice fly and left fielder Troy Reeder belted a two-run homer to left field. The homer was Reeder’s third of the season and that shot sent Mulder to the showers. Northwood made things interesting in the seventh, scoring twice. Petrich (5-0) left with runners on first and second and two outs. Sophomore righty Josh Davidson took over and gave up a pair of RBI singles before ending the game by striking out Jeff Yenkel. Davidson earned his team-best fifth save of the year. Northwood was led by Chris Kouris and Ty Kouris. Both had two hits. Ty Kouris and catcher Jake Mienk had two RBI apiece. Ayers and Reeder had two hits each for AU. In the second game, NU’s Roy Reynolds stopped the bleeding in more ways than one. He came out of the bullpen in the fourth inning when starter Matt Fahr left with a bloody finger. Reynolds (1-1) pitched 3 1/3 innings and gave up one hit. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter. NU scored in the top of the first inning when leadoff hitter Champ Rankin singled, moved to second on a stolen base, moved to third on a fly ball and and then home on a single by Chris Kouris. Rankin scored NU’s other run in the third inning, reaching on a single and eventually coming home on a wild pitch. Reeder scored the lone Ashland run in the fourth inning. He got aboard on an infield single and later scored on a wild pitch. Senior Todd Martinelli (2-3) went the distance and took the loss. He allowed five hits. Martinelli didn’t walk a batter and struck out four. Three of the four punchouts were called. Davidson was the only AU player who had continued success at the plate, he finished 3-for-3. Ashland had six hits. Kouris was 2-for-3 for the ‘Wolves. The two teams will play another doubleheader on Sunday (April 10), beginning at noon. |