HUNTINGTON, Ind. – Jeremiah Johnson put the Spring Arbor University baseball team up 4-0 with his fifth inning home run, and Conner Lengerich put an exclamation point on a six run sixth with a grand slam as the Cougars cruised to a 13-1 victory over Bethel College in the Crossroads League Tournament on Monday night.
The third-seeded Cougars, now 28-15 on the season, are one win away from playing for their second straight Crossroads League Tournament title and earning an automatic berth into the NAIA National Championship Opening Round. Seventh-seeded Bethel fell to 18-26 overall and will face second-seeded Huntington University in an elimination game tomorrow at 3 p.m.
Spring Arbor got the scoring started early with a pair of runs in the first inning. Chris Wegrzyn crossed the plate on a groundout by Johnson, and Mitchel Patterson came around on an RBI single by Tyler Baker. The Cougars added another run in the fourth before erupting for four in the fifth – highlighted by Johnson's first homer of the season – to extend the lead to 7-0.
In the sixth inning, SAU saw its first six batters reach base safely. Baker ripped a double to right with the bases loaded, driving in Patterson and JP Maracani. After a walk to Newman loaded the bases again, Lengerich stepped to the plate and, on the 3-2 offering, belted the first home run of his collegiate career, a grand slam to put the Cougars up 13-0.
Baker finished the game 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored while Wegrzyn and Newman also recorded multiple hits. Lengerich drove in four runs and scored twice, and Jack Driscoll crossed the plate three times.
Brody Harris earned his team-best sixth win of the season after allowing only one run in 7.1 innings of work. The left-hander scattered nine hits and struck out six batters. Drew Weston added 1.2 innings of shutout relief to close out the game.
Spring Arbor will play the winner of Tuesday's contest between Huntington and Bethel at 6 p.m. for a chance to advance to the championship game. The championship game will be played at Taylor University on Wednesday, May 6 at 6 p.m.
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