ASHLAND, Ohio – For the second consecutive day the Eagles split a pair of games at Findlay, this time beating the Oilers, 12-1, in the opener on Sunday (May 1) before falling in nine innings, 6-5, in the nightcap.
Senior Ajay Meyer (Hamler, Ohio/Owens CC) was terrific in six innings of work in the first game. He allowed just one run on five hits with one walk and five strikeouts.
The start came on just two days rest after pitching a complete game at Lake Erie on Thursday (April 28). Saturday's start was the first start this season in which Meyer did not throw a complete game.
The Eagles (28-17, 16-14 GLIAC) staked the right-hander to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. Senior Matt McAllester (Westlake, Ohio) started the inning by flying around the bases for an inside-the-park home run into right-center field. Senior Evan Melendez (Amherst, Ohio/Steele) bunted and reached on an error by the pitcher, UF starter Troy Balduf.
Freshman Tyler Gray (Plain City, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) doubled to put two runners into scoring position. With one out, senior Ryan Avery (Berea, Ohio/Cuyahoga CC) was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Two batters later, junior Ethan Houck (Fort Wayne, Ind./Glen Oaks CC) drew a walk to make it 2-0. Freshman Chaz McGrain (Valley City, Ohio/Olmsted Falls) was hit by a pitch to force in Gray to make it 3-0.
Meyer settled in while pitching with the lead. He allowed just one hit through the first five innings and only one runner reached third base.
The Oilers (14-28-1, 10-20 GLIAC) got to Meyer in the sixth for a run on four hits and a walk. With the bases loaded and one out while holding a 5-1 lead, Meyer got a strikeout and a groundout to end Findlay's threat.
The Eagles scored twice in the top of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Avery and a double steal that had sophomore Austin Erb (Strasburg, Ohio/Hanover) swiping second and Gray taking home.
The AU bats completely put the game away with seven runs in the seventh inning. Sophomore Matt Gundlach (Monroeville, Ohio/Sandusky Perkins), Melendez, Gray and sophomore Shayne Herold (LeRoy, N.Y./Genesee CC) each had RBI.
Junior Mitch Klein (Gahanna, Ohio/Lincoln) punctuated the inning with a three-run home run – his first of the season.
Freshman David Devine (Massillon, Ohio/Jackson) worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning to finish the game.
Meyer (8-3) got the win as a reward for his outing. Balduf (1-2) took the loss. He allowed three runs on two hits with a walk and two strikeouts in one inning of work. Ethan James was solid in relief, going five innings and allowing two earned runs.
McAllester was 3-for-5 for the Eagles and was a home run short of the cycle. He also stole a base and scored three runs. Avery and Gray had two hits apiece and were both hit by a pitch. Houck reached base three times, going 1-for-3 with two walks. No UF batter had more than one hit.
In game two, the second inning was the power inning for both offenses. The Eagles and Oilers each exploded for four runs in the inning.
In the Ashland half of the inning, Klein's double and a pair of walks loaded the bases for Gundlach, who drove home two runs on a one-out single to right field. With two down, Melendez roped a triple to deep center that scored two more runs to give AU a 4-0 lead.
Ashland starter Vince Frate (North Royalton, Ohio), who set the Oilers down in order in the first inning, struggled in the second frame. Findlay scored four runs on four hits and two errors in the inning, which was keyed by a two-run triple by Dylan Cintula. Freshman Cole Hudson (Dresden, Ohio/Zanesville) relieved Frate to get out of the inning without further damage. None of the runs allowed by Frate were earned.
The Eagles took the lead in the fourth inning when McAllester doubled, went to third on the throw and scored on a passed ball.
Hudson held the Oilers in check until the sixth when he walked leadoff man Dustin Zielaskiewicz. Junior Aaron Hilt (Richmond, Ohio/Edison) relieved Hudson at that point and allowed Kyle Wilson to reach on an error by Gundlach at shortstop that put runners on the corners with no outs. Hilt got two straight strikeouts, but Cintula singled to center field to tie the game.
The game remained tied into the ninth when Jason Reitenbach led off the inning with a single and went to second on a sacrifice bunt. The Eagles elected to walk Tommy Roush intentionally. A passed ball put both runners in scoring position and Zielaskiewicz reached on an error by Gray at third allowing the winning run to score.
Hilt (5-3) took the loss, despite allowing just an unearned run on four hits. He walked two and struck out two in 3.1 innings. Hudson allowed just one hit and an unearned run in 3.1 innings in middle relief.
Derek Draper (2-3) earned the win in relief, working 2.1 innings of perfect baseball with three strikeouts. The Eagles also did not get a hit off Preston Zachrich, who worked 3.1 scoreless innings in relief, walking just one with three punchouts.
McAllester was the only Eagle with two hits, while Reitenbach, Wilson and Cintula had two each for the Oilers.
Ashland finishes regular season play next weekend (May 7-8) with a four-game set at Donges Field against Hillsdale. The teams will start at 2 p.m. on Saturday, which is also Youth Day. Fans can register for Youth Day by contacting AU director of marketing Rachel Bixler at rbixler@ashland.edu.
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