HUNTINGTON, Ind. – Sophomore pitcher Brody Harris tossed a complete game shutout to lift the Spring Arbor University baseball team past Huntington University 1-0 in nine innings in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.
A pair of late runs in game two put the Cougars in position to sweep the Foresters, who had lost just one Crossroads League contest this season, but the home team plated two runs in the bottom of the seventh to walk-off with a 3-2 win.
Spring Arbor is now 18-9 overall and 11-5 in the conference, while Huntington stands at 14-7 on the season with a mark of 11-1 in the CL.
Game one turned out to be a classic pitchers' duel between Harris and HU's Kyle Zerfas. Through eight scoreless innings, Harris surrendered just five hits while Zerfas allowed four, and neither pitcher allowed a runner past second base.
However, the Cougars were finally able to breakthrough for the game's only run in the top of the ninth. After loading the bases with nobody out, senior JP Maracani hit a sacrifice fly allowing freshman Francisco Ondina to cross the plate.
The Foresters threatened in the home half of the inning, putting runners on first and second with only one out. But, Harris would induce a game-ending double play to escape the jam and earn the win.
It was the second complete game shutout of the season for Harris, who improved his record to 4-1. The southpaw scattered six hits while fanning a career-high nine batters.
Game two started in similar fashion with neither team scoring through the first three innings. Huntington would break the deadlock, though, after pushing a run across in the fourth inning.
With SAU still trailing 1-0 in the sixth, freshman Conner Lengerich would even the score with an RBI double. Lengerich would later score the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by junior Jonathan Newman.
However, after being held in check throughout most of the game by junior pitcher Spencer Goebel, the Foresters rallied for two runs off of the right-hander in the bottom of the seventh to steal a 3-2 win and avoid the sweep.
Maracani went 3-for-4 in the game while Lengerich and Nick Harris picked up two hits apiece.
Goebel suffered the loss after allowing three runs on seven hits and striking out four.
Spring Arbor will return to Huntington to wrap up the four-game series on Monday, Apr. 13. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
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