Here's an update on ONU baseball and softball.
ADA — The Ohio Northern baseball team swept an Ohio Athletic Conference double header from Heidelberg on a wet and windy Saturday afternoon at Wander Field.
The Polar Bears (6-11 overall, 5-8 OAC) won the opener 10-9 with a run in the bottom of the seventh and took the nightcap 4-2 in a rain-shortened game that had its own late-inning drama.
The Student Princes fall to 10-8, 7-7.
Northern led the first game 9-3 entering the seventh inning and appeared on cruise control, having allowed only one HU runner to second base since the second inning.
But Heidelberg used a grand slam and batted around in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 9-9.
Northern responded in the home half of the frame when junior Sam Zeleznik (Hinckley/Highland) led off the inning with a walk and eventually scored on a ground ball by junior Andy Mills (Cincinnati/St. Xavier).
Senior Devin Johnson (Wooster) came on and did not give up a hit in two innings of shutout relief to pick up the save for ONU.
In Game 2, Northern led 4-2 when the game was delayed 1 hour and 48 minute due to rain.
When play resumed, a light rain began to fall that made the field less and less playable as the game progressed.
HU plated four runs in the top of the ninth and led 6-4 with two out when a heavy pocket of rain came in and washed the game out, making the field completely unplayable.
By NCAA rule, the game reverts back to the last completed inning, giving Ohio Northern a 4-2 victory.
Freshman Hayden Heche (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop) threw two innings of scoreless relief to earn his first collegiate victory and sophomore Tim Knapschaefer (Maria Stein/Marion Local) was officially credited with three scoreless innings to record his first save of the year.
Senior Michael Rocco (Davenport, Fla./Zionsville (Ind.)) was 5-for-8 with three runs scored and 2 RBI on the day to lead the ONU offense, which out-hit HU 24-21 on the day.
The two teams will wrap up their 4-game series with a double header in Tiffin on Sunday beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Softball
The Ohio Northern softball team fell twice by late-inning rallies 4-3 and 6-4 on Saturday at Frann's Field.
The Polar Bears (9-10-1 overall, 8-9 Ohio Athletic Conference held 3-1 fifth innings leads in both contests, but the Student Princes (10-10-1, 9-9) rallied on both occasions for the win.
Northern scored twice in the top of the fifth to grab a 3-1 advantage in the opener, only to have HU counter with a 3-run double in the bottom of the fifth to take a 4-3 lead.
ONU got two runners on with two out in the top of the seventh, but the hosts were able to get out of the jam.
In the nightcap, HU plated one run in the fifth to get within 3-2 and got four more in the sixth to grab a 6-3 lead.
Again Ohio Northern rallied as senior Abby Davis (New Palestine, Ind.) tripled and scored on a sc fly by sophomore Annika Murray (Hilliard/Bradley) to make it 6-4. Again, the hosts were able to get the final outs to hang on for the victory.
Davis was 4-for-8 with a double and a triple on the day to lead the ONU offense.
The two teams will wrap up their 4-game series with a double header at the ONU Softball Field on Sunday beginning at 9 a.m.
