No. 13 Racers Complete Sweep over Golden Eagles

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The NAIA No. 13 University of Northwestern Ohio baseball team looked to extend its 10-game win streak to 12 with a Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference doubleheader at Cornerstone University on Saturday afternoon.

The Racers (29-10, 19-1 WHAC) opened the day with a massive 11-0 seven-inning triumph over the Golden Eagles (16-23, 8-11 WHAC) before securing the series sweep with an 8-5 victory in the finale.

In game one, UNOH jumped out to a quick 3-0 in the first inning to get things rolling on offense before extending the gap to 5-0 in the second. The scoring continued in the third inning on a bases-loaded walk to make it 6-0 in favor of the Racers.

A scoreless fourth inning also marked the end of Kyle Thomas' no-hit bid on the mound. UNOH went on to tally four more runs in the fifth inning to put the 10-run rule into play before capping the scoring in the sixth with an Erich Gonzalez RBI double following a Felix Correa triple.

The Racers tallied 15 hits and nine RBIs in the contest with Gonzalez leading the way with three hits and two RBI. Five other UNOH batters had multiple hits while Jonathan Rodriguez, Carlos Baerga, Jr., and Jose Paulino matched his two RBIs.

Thomas (6-1) earned the victory with a three-hit, complete game shutout while striking out eight batters in the performance.

The finale looked to be a similar story as UNOH used a five-run third inning to claim an early 6-0 lead. That surge was highlighted by a two-run Jeff Cardenas home run in the third.

However, Cornerstone scored its first pair of runs during the weekend in the bottom of the fifth inning via a two-RBI triple before putting up a third on a solo homer by Evan Wagner in the seventh. Wagner hit his second bomb in the ninth in hopes of giving the Golden Eagles a late rally, but a pair of runs spread over the seventh and eighth by the Racers put the game out of reach.

Mike Alexander (6-2) claimed the win on the mound after a six-inning start as he picked up eight strikeouts. Ross Cervantes threw one perfect inning of relief before Abrahan Flete closed the final two innings.

Kyle Fisher scored three runs in the finale while Correa notched four hits to lead the offense. Cardenas' three RBIs were a team best.

UNOH returns to action with a series against the Madonna University Crusaders. The series will open with a doubleheader in Livonia, Mich. on Saturday, April 15 and conclude with the finale on Thursday, April 19. The Thursday contest is scheduled to be played at Comerica Park, the home of the Detroit Tigers.