BASEBALL

The HU baseball team dropped a pair of games, 9-4, 4-3, to #RV Ottawa Friday afternoon. The doubleheader is part of a four-game weekend series with the Braves in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Ottawa (3-0) is coming off a program-best 37-win season in 2021. As the KCAC Tournament Champions, the Braves qualified for the program’s first NAIA Opening Round last year and picked up where they left off against HU by establishing an early 3-0 lead in game one and never looking back.

Freshman Jaden Deel was the only Forester to log multiple hits in the opener. The rookie DH got his team on the board in the bottom of the second with an RBI-single up the middle for a 3-1 game. He went on to spearhead HU’s three-run seventh by clocking one over the center field fence for his first collegiate dinger. Four batters later, Ian McCutcheon also sent one long with a runner on for a late-game rally that was cut short after that.

Camden Dice took the loss for HU by giving up six of Ottawa’s 14 hits for four runs. He surrendered three walks while striking out five in 4.1 innings of work.

The nightcap was a pitcher’s duel that featured a combined eight hits with the Braves enjoying the 6-2 edge and a second win. Just like the opener, Ottawa jumped out to a lead they wouldn’t surrender.

While the Foresters managed just two hits, they made the most of both base pokes. Daniel Lichty’s single in the fifth drove in Nick Davit who had reached base on a fielder’s choice. The sixth saw Langston Ginder single to get things started for HU and then eventually come around to score on an error by the Braves shortstop after which Dice’s sacrifice fly pulled HU within one.

Lichty was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the seventh to represent the tying run but unfortunately, the OU pitching staff worked three straight outs after that to slam the door shut on any sort of heroic HU finish.

Tyler Papenbrock was charged with the loss having tossed the first five innings where he gave up four hits, two runs and five walks while striking out five.

The Foresters (1-5) face Ottawa again tomorrow for a second doubleheader.