UNOH Gets Walked Off in Game One, Explodes in Game Two in Battle of Top Teams

ANN ARBOR, MI - The opening game of a four-game series at second-place Concordia was tied for five of seven innings, but saw the Cardinals walk off in the seventh for a 4-3 win. Game two stayed scoreless through five, but UNOH exploded for ten runs in two innings finishing off a day one split, 10-3.

After two scoreless innings, UNOH got on the board first with three straight singles in the third that loaded the bases and set up an RBI fielder's choice for Eliomar Otero. Concordia responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead, but the Racers tied things up again in the fourth. With bases loaded, Tyler Grigalis gapped a single in right center that scored two and sent the game into the fifth at 3-3. The teams played two and half innings of scoreless ball before the Cardinals used their own bases-loaded situation to plate the winning run and end the game, 4-3.

Tyler Grigalis finished 2-4 with two RBI to lead the team. Darius Freeman went 2-3 and Joskar Feliciano was 2-4 at the dish.

Michael Joyce threw six innings allowing thre runs on seven hits while striking out seven and walking two. Jeremy Yurcak (3-2) gave up the winning run to take the loss after just a third of an inning of work.

AJ Buchman didn't give up a hit until the fifth inning of the night cap, but the Racers couldn't take advantage in a scoreless game entering the sixth. Nolan Hull was the spark they were looking for blasting a two-run home in the top of the sixth setting up an offensive explosion. Two Cardinal errors assisted two more runs for the Racers before Alphonso Franks capped a seven-run inning with a three-run bomb that blew the game open. Titus Groeneweg made it a double-digit lead in the seventh with his team leading sixth home run of the season that scored three. Concordia kept the game alive with one run in the bottom, adding two in the eighth, but UNOH held them at bay for the 10-3 win.

Groenewg and Franks both led the team with their three RBI with Hull responsible for the remaining two. Eliomar Otero was the only Racer with multiple hits going 2-4 in the game.

AJ Buchman (5-2) earned the win after a dazzling six innings of work. He gave up just two hits with one unearned run while striking out nine and walking two. Jeremy Yurcak threw one inning of no-hit ball, striking out one, with Eliott Traver tossing the final inning and two-thirds with two walks, one strikeout and no hits.

UNOH will tangle with Concordia two more times on Sunday to finish off the four-game series.