BASEBALL

The Forester baseball team wrapped up the season series with Mount Vernon Nazarene University Monday afternoon with a pair of road wins, 7-4, 8-4, to remain perfect in league play at 5-0, 7-12 overall.

The wins is HU’s fifth straight and completes the three-game sweep over the Cougars with the first W, an 8-4 decision, dating back to March 19.

At no time did the Foresters trail in game one but the Cougars never let their visitors too far out of site. It was a one-run difference through the first four frames before HU extended their advantage to two in the fifth. Both teams scored in the sixth after which HU found home one more time in their last at bat to enjoy their largest gap of three by game’s end.

There was no shortage of opportunities to put runs on the board as each team claimed ten hits and left 12 and 11 runners stranded respectively over the course of the contest.

HU was creative in finding home early on. The Foresters scored their first and third runs on a wild pitch and Nick Davit’s walk with bases loaded respectively. In between, Jake Hansen doubled in a run No. 2 in the second.

Tyler Zimske took over after that by sending one into the bleachers in left-center in the fifth and then logging a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth. Adrian Perez drove in another run in the sixth with an RBI-fielder’s choice after which Hunter Losekamp wrapped things up with a run-scoring double in the seventh.

Mason Shinabery posted the win on the mound. In 5.2 innings of work, he gave up seven hits, four runs, three of which were earned, and three walks while striking out four. Tarrin Beachy offered 1.1 innings of scoreless relief for the save.

Perez and Losekamp each finished with a pair of hits and RBI. Daniel Lichty also finished with two hits while Zimske tallied his first bomb of the year to go along with two RBI.

The nightcap was the talk of the town. Both teams scored four runs through the first four frames but then came crickets as the next five innings remained deadlocked at 4-4. Offense was at a premium as each team managed just one hit to extend the game beyond its original nine-inning intent.

Down to their last out with a runner on first in the top of the tenth, the Foresters erupted for four runs to double up the score for the statement win. Lichty was the first to come up with a clutch hit, a single to right-center, to drive in speedster Donovan Clark from first.

HU had a little help from the Cougars after that by way of an error, hit batter and wild pitch to not only load the bases but allow Lichty to touch home.

With bases still loaded, Perez dropped a single into left to plate two more runs bringing their total to eight.

While Mount Vernon landed a runner in scoring position in their half of the tenth, a pop up down the right field line was hauled in by Zimske for the third out to solidify the win.

Huntington’s first four runs were bundled in the third and again came with a little assistance from the Cougar defense. The Foresters scored twice on two separate throwing errors in addition to touching home on a passed ball. The inning also saw HU take advantage of two walks and wild pitch and Jamar Weaver knocking in a run with an RBI-fielder’s choice.

On either side of Huntington’s four-run third were three runs by the Cougars in the first and another in the fourth to set the stage for the Foresters’ runaway win in the tenth.

After earning the save in game one, Beachy tossed three frames of scoreless, hitless relief in the nightcap to pick up the win for a productive day on the bump. The senior hurler closed out the game giving up three walks while striking out one.

HU posted five hits to MVNU’s four and took advantage of five Cougar errors to the tune of six unearned runs.

Frame’s crew is back in action tomorrow to face Saint Francis at 2:00 p.m.