BASEBALL

The #RV Forester baseball team opened up its three-game series against Saint Francis (13-33, 7-16) with a pair of wins, 11-0, 4-2, Friday afternoon at Forest Glen. HU’s quest for a conference championship continues as they improve to 23-11 overall, 17-6 in league play.

Hitting came easily for the Foresters in the opener. Frame’s crew collected 18 base pokes, four for extra bases. It’s the third time this season HU has logged at least 15 hits in a contest.

Adrian Perez had a monster outing offensively for the Foresters. The senior heavy hitter went 4-for-4 which included drilling a hanging breaking ball over the left field fence for a three-run dinger in the second to get his team on the board. He stepped up to the plate in each of the next two frames and knocked in a pair with each at bat. He wrapped up his dominant performance with another run-scoring single in the sixth for his eighth RBI of the contest.

Donovan Clark was also a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate while Andrew Natividad doubled in two runs in the third, HU’s most productive inning, on his way to two hits and just as many RBI. Daniel Lichty and Adam Roser finished with two hits apiece as five different Foresters logged multiple hits.

While Huntington was busy at the plate posting double digit runs for the fourth time this month, Alex McCutcheon (8-1) effectively shut down the visitors in their half of each frame. The junior hurler scattered just three hits and gave up a walk while striking out nine of the 22 batters he faced for the complete-game shutout win.

The nightcap started off similarly with HU skirting in front, 4-0, for a comfortable lead but things got interesting in the seventh when the Cougars cut the lead in two. USF threatened again in their last at bat. With two outs and the tying run on first, reliever Mason Shinabery sat down Jack Harris on strikes for the save.

Starting pitcher Caleb Landrum spent the first 7.1 innings on the mound to earn his fourth win of the year. He threw 92 pitches to surrender 11 hits, two runs and a walk while striking out four.

Despite being outhit by USF, 11-8, the Foresters made good use of their offensive opportunities. In the bottom of the third, Ian McCutcheon doubled down the right field line, advanced to third on a passed ball and then scampered home on a suicide squeeze at the bat of Gustavo Bonilla. That same frame, after singling his way to first, Donovan Clark made his way around the bases on Austin Pritchard’s RBI-double for the early 2-0 tilt.

Frame’s crew scored their final two runs in their next at bat. Roser led off by drilling one over the head of the right fielder for a double and eventually touching home on a wild pitch. McCutcheon knocked in HU’s next run with a single up the middle for his second hit of the game and a 4-0 Huntington lead.

Clark also registered two hits to finish the doubleheader 6-for-7.

Rain has forced Saturday’s single nine with Saint Francis to be moved to Monday at 7:00 p.m.