Pitching, Timely Hitting Lift Eagles Past Walsh

The Ashland University baseball team got solid pitching and a few timely hits to beat Walsh, 4-1, on Tuesday (March 23) afternoon, snapping a four-game losing skid.
 
It was the Eagles' best pitching performance of the season as they held the Cavaliers to just one run on three hits.
 
Junior right-hander Jacob Harsany got the start and earned his first win as an Eagle, going seven innings and giving up just one run on two hits while striking out five.
 
The Eagles (4-6) opened the scoring in the first when junior Austin Eifrid ripped a leadoff double and scored on a single by senior Garett Robberts.
 
Walsh (7-5) tied the game in the bottom of the first on two singles and a wild pitch, but Harsany escaped trouble by erasing the last two hitters via strikeout.
 
The Eagles regained the lead in the third. With two down and runners on the corners, senior Michael Rogers got in a run down between first and second, allowing sophomore Seth Schroeder to score from third.
 
In the fourth, freshman Devin Hukill drew a leadoff walk, went to second on Robberts' walk and scored when senior Carson Mittermaier reached on an error to make it 3-1.
 
Junior Logan Moss was hit by a pitch to start the sixth, went to second on a bunt and scored on Robberts' second RBI hit of the game.
 
The three-run lead was enough for Harsany and the pitching staff. He pitched around four walks and four wild pitches to keep the Cavaliers off the board.
 
Junior Joel Ciccarelli came on in the eighth and got two outs before turning it over to junior right-hander Perry Bewley, who finished the eighth and struck out three of the four batters he faced in the ninth to record his second save of the season.
 
Robberts led the Eagles offensively, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and a walk. Rogers and junior Alex Whipple each reached base three times with two hits each.
 
MJ Nara suffered the loss for the Cavaliers.
 
The Eagles will have this weekend off after their series against Saginaw Valley was postponed due to the GLIAC's COVID-19 protocols. Ashland returns to play next Tuesday (March 30) at Tiffin.