BASEBALL

The #25 Forester baseball team kept the momentum rolling Saturday afternoon, sweeping the Grace Lancers at Tom Roy UPI Park with a 4-3 extra-inning thriller followed by a 4-1 victory in the nightcap. The wins extend Huntington’s streak to seven straight and secure the four-game series sweep over GC.

Game 1 – Huntington 4, Grace 3 (10 innings)
It took extra innings, but the Foresters found a way – thanks to a monster day from Tanner Reinartz.

In a game where offense was hard to come by, Reinartz provided nearly all of it, blasting two home runs and driving in three of HU’s four runs. After Owen Imel evened things up with an RBI groundout in the fourth, Reinartz took over, launching a two-run shot in the sixth to give HU a 3-1 edge.

Grace chipped away with runs in the seventh and eighth to knot things at 3-3, and both teams left the winning run stranded in the ninth to force extras.

Reinartz delivered again in the 10th, sending a ball off the left field foul pole for the go-ahead blast. From there, Dylan Eggl shut the door, stranding two runners and punching out back-to-back hitters to seal the win. The right-hander earned the victory, tossing two scoreless innings with two strikeouts.

Lost a bit in the late-game heroics was a strong start from Grant Simmons, who kept the Lancers in check for most of the afternoon. The right-hander went 6.2 innings, allowing just two runs on four hits while striking out seven to give HU a chance to stay within striking distance.

Despite just seven hits, HU made them count, while the pitching staff combined for 10 strikeouts in the win.

Game 2 – Huntington 4, Grace 1
The nightcap had a much different feel as Huntington controlled the game behind strong pitching and timely hitting.

Imel got things started again with an RBI groundout in the second before the Foresters broke through in the third. Kade Flores sparked the rally with a single, then stole second and third before scoring on a Grace errant throw. Moments later, Owen Willard delivered the big swing, launching a home run to extend the lead.

Keifer Wilson added an RBI single to cap the scoring as HU finished with nine hits in the game, with Willard and Wilson each collecting two.

On the mound, RJ Anglin returned in a big way, tossing six strong innings with six strikeouts, allowing just one run on five hits to earn the win. Kai Newman closed things out with a clean seventh, striking out two to secure the save.

With the sweep, Huntington improves to 30-9 overall and 20-8 in Crossroads League play. The Foresters step out of league action Tuesday to host the Manchester Spartans at 5:00 p.m.