Racers Win First Ever WHAC Tournament Game
Location: Adrian, Mich.
Score: #15 UNOH 10, Aquinas 2
Records: UNOH 41-11, AQ 21-29
Next UNOH Event: Tues. at WHAC Tournament – Adrian Mich. (SHU Baseball Diamond); 10:00 a.m.
ADRIAN, Mich. – In the University of Northwestern Ohio baseball team's four previous trips to the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference postseason tournament, the offense had struggled for the Racers. In seven games, UNOH scored a total of 10 runs, taking losses all seven times.
On Monday morning, the offense came to life, and the Racers picked up their first postseason win.
The Racers pushed across 10 runs on 14 hits, while holding Aquinas College to only four hits and taking the win 10-2.
Brandon Collins picked up his first RBI of the day in the bottom of the first inning, tripling home Alex Leach as the Racers drew first blood. Aquinas scored a run in the top of the third to tie the score, but the Racers came right back to recapture the lead on a sacrifice fly from Jose Cruz and an RBI-single from James Cardona to stretch the Racers' lead to 3-1.
Aquinas scored another run in the top of the fourth frame, cutting the Racers' lead to 3-2, and the Saints kept the Racers' offense in check into the sixth inning. Collins bounced an RBI-single up the middle, and later in the frame the Racers' Kyle Fisher scored on a wild pitch to give UNOH a 5-2 lead. Cruz and Cardona added their second RBI hits of the game in the eighth inning, and Jhonniel Alvarez knocked in the final run of the game as UNOH took the win 10-2.
Ryan Petrangelo (8-0) earned the win, throwing six and one-third innings and yielding two unearned runs on four hits, three walks, and seven strikeouts. Nick Eely (3-5) took the loss, giving up six runs on 10 hits in six innings.
Collins was 3-for-3 with two walks, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Zyler Cosby was 2-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored, Cardona had two hits including a double in five trips, driving in three runs, and Ryan Lozada and Fisher were each 2-for-4 with a run scored.
The Racers advance to the second round of the WHAC Tournament, where they await the loser of the first round contest between Madonna University (36-13) and Indiana Tech (29-25).