Yellow Jackets Hand Eagles Two Baseball Losses
April 9, 2006

Complete Box Score
Game 1          Game 2

Sometimes, in the entertainment and sports world, hype turns into lost hope, an event failing to live up to the fanfare.

That wasn’t the case with the three baseball games West Virginia State and Ashland played over the weekend (April 8-9) at Donges Field. Sunday (April 9), the Yellow Jackets swept the Eagles, winning the first game, 9-5 in 10 innings and adding a 12-6 victory in the nightcap. AU had opened the series with a 5-4 win on Saturday.

West Virginia State is ranked third nationally and Ashland is ranked seventh. The Yellow Jackets are 26-3 and AU is 27-7. Sunday’s losses put a halt to a six-game AU winning streak.

Ashland had a 5-4 lead in the top of the seventh in the first game when West Virginia State second baseman Ryan Taylor belted a homer off of Josh Davidson to force a 5-5 tie. The score remained that way until the top of the 10th inning when the visitors scored four runs on three hits.

Eric Workman put the Yellow Jackets ahead to stay with a two-run single to left. The other two runs came home on a double by shortstop Josh Bower. The Eagles helped prolong the inning by making two errors in the frame.

The Yellow Jackets relied on the long ball to get back in the game in the first place. AU led, 4-0 after three innings. In the top of the fourth, the Yellow Jackets used a three-run homer by designated hitter Kyle Jones and a run-scoring single by Boo Hager to knot the score.

In the early innings, it looked like the Eagles would have their way with Yellow Jacket pitching. But after getting to starter Travis McGrath for five runs and five hits in four innings, the Eagles ran into a wall named Michael Ziewicki. The lanky righthander came out of the bullpen and pitched six innings. He didn’t allow a run and AU managed just two hits off of him. Ziewicki (1-0) walked two and struck out five.

Much of AU’s offense centered around a bases-loaded triple to right field by catcher Eric Zattlin. Left fielder Casey Jirsa was 2-for-2 and scored a pair of runs.

AU called on freshman Todd Schlenkerman to start the game. The righthander lasted five innings and gave up four runs on seven hits. Davidson (9-3), facing the Yellow Jackets for the second consecutive game, gave up five runs, two earned, in five innings. He allowed five hits, walked one and whiffed nine.

The Eagles fell behind early in the second game as the Yellow Jackets scored once in the second inning and added six runs in the third. AU kept battling back and kept the issue in doubt, but the Yellow Jackets didn’t break. All 12 runs scored by West Virginia State came with two outs. Jones was 3-for-4 with three RBI and cracked his team-best 16th homer of the season. First baseman Jeff Miller was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. Taylor was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI and catcher Jonathan Stowers had a hit and two RBI.

Much of the early damage by the Yellow Jackets came against AU starter Thom Abbott, who allowed six runs – four earned – in 2 2/3 innings. He was relieved by Jesse Michel, who went 2 1/3 frames. The most effective mound work was turned in by junior lefty Matt Patton, who pitched two perfect innings, striking out three.

Jirsa, John Hosgood, and Ron Oneson had two hits each for AU. Jim Barry and Justin Randall each had a double.

Brett McClain (4-0) worked the first four innings to get the win. Workman pitched the final three innings and earned the save. He allowed two hits in his stint.

Ashland is back in action on Wednesday (April 12), visiting Hillsdale for a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference twinbill.