MOUNT VERNON, OH – The Spring Arbor baseball team took the long bus ride to Mount Vernon, Ohio on Thursday morning to take on Mount Vernon Nazarene in a crucial series for Crossroads League conference positioning. Both teams came into the set tied for fifth place in the league, with both chasing the fourth spot and a bye in the end of season tournament. In game one, Spring Arbor grabbed an early lead, but that proved to be short-lived as Mount Vernon would claim the lead in the next frame and not relinquish it, coasting to a 10-2 win. In game two, Spring Arbor once again claimed an early lead, scoring two runs in the third, and would hold that lead all the way until the sixth, when Mount Vernon hit a home run to tie it, and later took the lead a few hitters later on a Spring Arbor error. SAU couldn't score in the top of the seventh, and Mount Vernon was able to sneak out the sweep of the day.
SCORES:
Spring Arbor 2, Mount Vernon Nazarene 10
Spring Arbor 2, Mount Vernon Nazarene 3
LOCATION:
Cougar Baseball Field | Mount Vernon, Ohio
RECORDS:
Spring Arbor 16-14, 8-10 Mount Vernon Nazarene 22-10, 10-8,
GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS:
After a scoreless first inning for both teams, Spring Arbor would strike first in top of the second with two outs, as Zach Adams was hit by a pitch, and Connor Dee drove him in on the next pitch with a double to give SAU an early 1-0 lead.
Mount Vernon would go scoreless in the bottom of the second but found some offense in the bottom of the third after a scoreless Spring Arbor top half, scoring four runs on a two-run single and a two-run home run to take a 4-1 lead. Both teams would go scoreless in the fourth before Mount Vernon added another run in the bottom of the fifth with another home run to extend their lead to 5-1.
Both teams would once again have a scoreless sixth before the floodgates opened for Mount Vernon in the bottom of the seventh, as they scored five runs on a bases clearing three run double, and RBI triple and a walk to take control, 10-1. Spring Arbor would get one more run on a Joey Tessmer sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth, but the Cougars couldn't get any more, as Mount Vernon took the 10-2 victory.
GAME ONE PERFORMERS
Pitching:
Brady Mitchell: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Hitting:
Connor Dee: 2 for 3, 2B, RBI, BB
Joey Tessmer: 1 for 4, RBI, SB, SAC Fly
Aiden Brunin: 1 for 4, HBP
Jake Zeeb: 1 for 3, BB
Zach Adams: 0 for 3, R, HBP
GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS:
Game two began as a pitcher's duel, with both teams going scoreless through the first two frames. In the top of the third, the Spring Arbor offense would find some life, as Aiden Brunin and Dee both singled to put runners on the corners, which led to Ryan Gonzalez bringing in Brunin after reaching on an error, and Jake Zeeb scoring Dee on an RBI single to give SAU a 2-0 lead. Spring Arbor starter Josh Murphy was effectively wild through two innings, not allowing any hits, but also walking five, leading to Spring Arbor bringing in Colin Snyder out of the bullpen.
Snyder would continue to shut down the Mount Vernon offense, but the SAU offense could not respond, as both teams would go scoreless in the fourth and fifth, with Spring Arbor holding on to a slim 2-0 lead. However, in the bottom half of the sixth, Mount Vernon finally found life, hitting a two-run home run with two outs to tie the game and then taking the lead in heart-breaking fashion on an errant throw on an attempted dirt ball read, 3-2. Spring Arbor could not muster a rally in the top of the seventh, and Mount Vernon snuck out the sweep on the day, with the 3-2 victory.
GAME TWO PERFORMERS:
Pitching:
Josh Murphy: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 1 K
Colin Snyder: 3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's
Hitting:
Ryan Gonzalez: 1 for 3, RBI
Jake Zeeb: 1 for 3, RBI
Aiden Brunin: 1 for 3, R, SAC Bunt
Connor Dee: 1 for 3, R
Landon Raczkowski: 1 for 3
Zach Adams: 1 for 2
Joey Tessmer: 1 for 4
UP NEXT
After an off-day Friday due to pending weather, Spring Arbor will finish their series with Mount Vernon Nazarene on Saturday, March 29th. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 PM.
