UNOH Wins First Two Against Lourdes

LIMA, OH - UNOH baseball opened a four-game series against Lourdes with a tight 4-3 win before taking care of the day one night cap, 9-2.

Offense was hard to come by and runs came in bunches during the first game of the weekend. Lourdes scored all three of their runs in their first at-bat holding UNOH hitless through the first two frames. The Racers broke through briefly in the home third stringing together three singles that scored through before capping off the inning with a sac fly to tie the game. The two teams combined for just two more hits the rest of the game, but Tim Hanible turned a lead off walk into a run in the seventh with a sac bunt, a ground out and a wild pitch bring him home for the game winning score.

Michael Joyce got the start and, despite giving up three runs and three hits in the first inning, managed a strong five and a third inning performance. Joyce didn't give up another hit after his struggles in the first while striking out eight and walking three. Jeremy Yurcak threw one hitless inning in relief striking out two but Jack Olberding (2-0) picked up the decision finishing off the final two Lourdes batters in the seventh.

Darius Freeman led off the home first in the nightcap with a single up the middle and stole his way to third before scoring the first run of the game on a Tyler Grigalis ground out. Lourdes cracked back-to-back doubles to open the third and took the lead, 2-1, with a sac fly, but it was short-lived as the Racers answered back in the bottom. Three singles, two walks and wild pitch translated to three runs and UNOH went back on top. Grigalis went to deep center field for a two-out double to add one more and the Racers led 5-2 after four. That score held into the eighth as the two teams combined for just three hits over the three innings. The UNOH offense found it's groove in the eighth with two doubles and two singles to add four more and solidify their lead, 9-2. Lourdes earned one walk in the ninth but couldn't find another hit giving the Racers their 17th-straight victory.

Darius Freeman led at the plate going 3-5 in game two. Tyler Grigalis, Joskar Feliciano, Nolan Hull and Cy Kerber each drove in two runs. AJ Buchman (4-2) tossed a brilliant six innings giving up two runs off six hits while striking out a career high twelve batters and allowing only one walk. Jack Olberding, Jeremy Yurcak, Nick Soller and Black O'Bryan combined for the final three innings giving up just one hit between them with six strikeouts and two walks. 

The five UNOH pitchers combined for 18 strikeouts in the game, the second most in program history (21).

UNOH will wrap up the four-game series against Lourdes with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 PM Sunday.