BASEBALL

The HU baseball team closed out their series against Grace (14-24, 7-20) with a Saturday sweep at Forest Glen, picking up 9-6 and 4-3 wins to secure a 3-1 series victory over the Lancers.

In the opener, RJ Anglin was dominant on the mound, holding Grace to just one run on four hits over six innings. The right-hander tallied nine strikeouts and issued three walks before exiting. The Lancers took full advantage of his departure by mounting a late comeback with five runs over the final two frames but would be denied the final say. Grace finished with eight hits to Huntington’s nine.

Heading into the seventh up 4-1, the Foresters broke things open by scoring five runs to extend their lead to 9-1. Bryce Deckman highlighted the frame by delivering a two-run single. He finished 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBI. He also scored on an error in the sixth.

Additional seventh-inning RBIs came courtesy of Zach Pelletier and Mason Meyer, each driving in runs with singles, while Beyonce Paco Paulina added a sac fly. Two innings earlier, Meyer and Pelletier were both hit by pitches with bases loaded to give HU a pair of free runs. Jace Fowler got the scoring started in the third with an RBI-single to left.

Game two had a different tempo. Grace jumped out to a 2-1 lead, which held until the third when Deckman launched a three-run homer over the left field fence, flipping the script and giving HU a 4-2 advantage.

The Lancers responded with a sac fly in the fifth, then loaded the bases on back-to-back walks, threatening to reclaim the lead. Enter Mason Meyer. The grad transfer and former Lancer took over on the mound, stranding both runners with a clutch strikeout to get out of the jam. He then retired the next six batters in order to notch the save.

Grant Simmons picked up the win, striking out three while surrendering six hits, three runs, and five walks over 4.2 innings.

With the series win, Huntington improves to 19-20 overall and 14-14 in conference play. The Foresters return to Forest Glen on Tuesday for a non-conference doubleheader against IU Columbus. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.