UNOH Overpowers St. Andrews to Complete Weekend Sweep

Site: Laurinburg, N.C. (Clark Field)

Scores: #RV UNOH 10, St. Andrews University 4; UNOH 11, SAU 4

Records: UNOH (6-5), SAU (3-7)

Next UNOH Event: Saturday, Feb. 28 – at Brescia University (Kamuf Park) – 2 p.m. DH

LAURINBURG, N.C. – After a slow start to the 2015 season, the University of Northwestern Ohio baseball team is beginning to find its groove.

The Racers completed a weekend series sweep of the St. Andrews University Knights on Saturday afternoon, taking a pair of seven-inning victories by scores of 10-4, and 11-4.

The day started very quickly for the UNOH offense, as they scored seven times in the first two innings of game one, which proved to be more than enough support for UNOH starting pitcher Reuben Medina.

Medina (1-0) turned in his best start of the year so far, throwing a complete game. He allowed 11 hits and four runs – three earned – without balking a batter and striking out eight.

After a Brandon Collins RBI-single opened the scoring in the top of the first frame, Rafael Lozada belted a two-run homer to give the Racers a 3-0 lead after one inning. In the second frame, Alex Leach drew a bases loaded walk, and Collins followed with a two-run single and James Cardona knocked in another with an RBI base knock of his own to stretch the Racers' lead to 7-1.

Jhonniel Alvarez smacked UNOH's second homer of the game in the top of the fifth, and Lozada added another run-scoring hit in the sixth. Later in the sixth inning, Randal Muhhlenkamp scored on a passed ball and the Racers cruised to the win 10-4.

Chris Fee (0-1) took the loss for the Knights in the game, giving up seven runs in an inning and one-third.

Collins, Cardona, Lozada, and Zyler Cosby each had two hits in the game, Leach and Alvarez each scored twice, and Collins and Lozada each picked up three RBIs.

The Racers put up a pair of unearned runs in the top of the first inning of game two, with Cardona and Cory Cook picking up RBIs in the inning, but St. Andrews answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the game.

UNOH broke in front in the second inning and never looked back. Kyle Fisher lifted a sacrifice fly to center, Collins followed with an RBI double, and Cardona homered two batters later to complete the four run inning and give UNOH a 6-2 lead.

Jose Cruz hit a two-RBI single that scored Leach and Cosby in the top of the fifth, and later in the frame, Cardona singled home Carlos Baerga, Jr. In the sixth, the Racers added their final two runs as Collins drove home Felix Correa and Cardona singled to left, scoring Brett Akins, as the Racers won 11-4.

Brodie Mitchell (1-0) threw six innings, giving up four earned runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out 10 in the game, moving him into the all-time lead on the UNOH strikeouts list, passing Zack Petrick and finishing the day with 121 career whiffs. Brad Monson (0-3) gave up nine runs on 11 hits in four and one-third innings to take the loss.

Leach was 3-for-4 in the game with three runs scored, Cruz was 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs, and Cardona posted a 3-for-5 effort, scoring twice and driving in five. Collins went 2-for-4 in the game with 2 RBIs as well, and Zyler Cosby scored twice.

UNOH will have next weekend off, returning to action for their final weekend non-conference road trip of the season on February 28 and March 1. That weekend, The Racers will head south to Owensboro, Kentucky to battle the Brescia University Bearcats (0-1) for a pair of double-headers, which will both start at 2 p.m.

Notes:

The weekend sweep in the first weekend sweep the Racers have recorded since April 26-27 at Aquinas College last season, and their first non-conference weekend sweep since February 22-23 of last season when the Racers swept three games from Virginia Intermont College … Collins now has 19 RBIs on the season, tying him for third in the NAIA in total RBIs … Leach has 12 stolen bases on the season, which ties him for second in the NAIA, one shy of the national lead … Four different Racers (Leach, Fisher, Cruz, and Cosby) have scored at least 10 runs on the year … UNOH has now scored at least 10 runs six times on the year, and they have done so in each of their last three games