BASEBALL

In a neighborly Crossroads League matchup, the Huntington baseball team split the twin bill against Saint Francis Thursday afternoon at Forest Glen. After slipping past USF in the opener, 10-8, HU felt the sting of a 6-5 loss in the nightcap.

It took the Foresters six inning to finally take a permanent lead against the Cougars in the opener. While the guests only pounded out five hits, three of which were singles, they still managed to plate eights runs small-ball style with a little bit of assistance from HU. In addition to their handful of base pokes, USF drew 12 walks and took advantage of two errors to enjoy the lead twice throughout the nine-inning battle.

Saint Francis’ first lead came and went in less than two frames. Up 4-0 after their at-bat in the third, the Cougars watched their advantage disappear by the end of the inning. Frame and crew touched home five times with Sebastian Kuhns’ two-run single highlighting HU’s productive outing at the plate.

Without logging a hit, the Cougars erased their deficit in the top of the fifth by adding three more runs, all unearned, to their total. The visitors scored on an error and wild pitch and used up four of their free passes, which included walking in one of the runs, to reclaim the lead at 7-5.

HU finally took over in the sixth with Satchell Wilson’s lead-off solo blast setting the tone. With one out and bases loaded, Kuhns riffled a double into right to drive in three runs and then came around to score on Jordan Malott’s triple to the same side of the field. It made for a 10-7 ball game that Saint Francis would add to in the seventh for the 10-8 final.

As a team, Huntington hammered out 12 hits, seven for extra bases. Kuhns finished 3-for-4 at the plate with five RBI. Wilson also posted three hits, which included his dinger and a double, and an RBI. Additionally, he drew one of six HU walks, scored twice and swiped a base.

Max Meisner took the mound with one out and bases loaded in the fifth to eventually earn the win after tossing two frames of hitless, scoreless relief while handing out three walks and sitting down four batters along the way.

In the nightcap, HU jumped out to a 2-0 lead after two at the bat of Jarret Gray and Tyler Jakob who smacked an RBI-single and RBI-triple respectively but then chased USF the rest of the evening. The Cougars unleashed for five runs on six hits, which included a two-run blast by Sam Pesa, in the top of the third to sprint in front 5-2. HU got two back in bottom of the frame on Malott’s two-run double to bridge the gap to one at 5-4.

Aside from the fifth that saw both teams score, with HU’s run coming when Langston Ginder tripled and then scooted home on a blunder by the centerfielder, the last half of the game came and went quietly as USF pitcher Blaine McRae snuffed out Huntington’s offense. Aside from Ginder’s three-bagger in the fifth, the Fort Wayne native retired the side in order starting in the fourth.

Ginder finished with two of his team’s eight hits. Tyler Papenbrock took the loss for Huntington. He threw the first five frames and gave up eight hits, six runs and two walks while striking out six.

With the split, HU moves to 11-6 on the year which includes a 5-1 CL record. Frame and crew are back at Forest Glen on Saturday to wrap up their series with Saint Francis. Opening pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.