BASEBALL

The #RV Huntington baseball team split a doubleheader with Marian Tuesday afternoon to claim their sixth regular season series win in CL action. Game one saw the Knights tee off in the ninth to plate six runs on the way to an 8-2 decision before HU regrouped for a 5-0 W in the nightcap.

The two teams met for the first time back on April 9 where the Foresters got the best of MU, 3-2, in a ten-inning affair. Frame’s crew now boasts a 21-11 overall record which includes boasting a 15-6 in CL play. HU is sitting atop the Crossroads League standings, a half-game ahead of Mount Vernon.

The Foresters faced one of the nation’s best in the business in senior pitcher Matt Burleton in the opener. The southpaw currently ranks in the top ten nationally in four different pitching categories – most notably including the No. 5 spot in total runs allowed (11) and the No. 7 in opponent batting average (.163).

HU took him to the test in back-to-back innings. Donovan Clark got on board with a single to left in the third after which Daniel Lichty rocketed a shot deep into right-center for an RBI-triple to match the Knight’s run in the top of frame. The Foresters struck again in the fourth with a pair of singles which included Ian McCutcheon’s RBI-base poke to slip in front 2-1.

Marian’s response was immediate as they singled on either side of a walk to load the bases and sit starting pitcher Joey Butz down. Tyler Vogel took advantage of the situation with a one-out sacrifice fly to knot things up at 2-2 before HU reliever Mason Shinabery worked the final out with two runners on to minimize the damage.

Shinabery and Burleton each shutdown the other’s offense as the score remained deadlocked at 2s over the next three frames before the wheels came off in the top of the ninth for the hosts. The Knights unleashed for six hits, which included three for extra bases, to rattle off six runs turning a nail-bitter into a lopsided final as a stunned HU squad had no answer in their half of the frame.

Burleton picked up the complete-game win while Shinabery was charged with the loss for the Foresters having given up eight hits, six runs and a walk while striking out five in 4.1 innings of work. The Knights outhit their hosts 16-6.

Freshman Brent Turner returned the favor in the nightcap. It was an impressive display on the bump as he limited the Knights to just one hit through the first six frames on his way to earning his first collegiate win. The rookie hurler handed out six free passes while striking out four before Austin Pritchard tossed the final inning to secure the shutout.

The shutout is just the fourth time Marian has been held scoreless this year.

Timely hitting was the key to HU’s success. With bases loaded in the fourth thanks to Lichty’s bunt for a base hit, an Adam Roser single and a base on balls by Jacob Hansen, Satchell Wilson delivered with a laser down the left field line to double in a pair of runs after which Jarret Gray posted a sac fly for a 3-0 Huntington lead.

The Foresters struck again in the sixth, this time by way of Clark’s two-run single through the hole at second base. The frame saw HU post two hits and add two more to its run total for the 5-0 final. Huntington finished with six hits in the contest to Marian’s three.

Frame’s crew is back at Forest Glen over the weekend for a three-game series with Saint Francis.