It was an impressive start to a key four-game Great Midwest Athletic Conference series for the No. 8-ranked Ashland University baseball team on Saturday (April 20), as the Eagles took 7-5 and 3-0 decisions at Kentucky Wesleyan.
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The two wins lifted the Eagles to 32-6 overall and 18-4 in the Great Midwest. Ashland came into the day leading the conference standings by two games over both Findlay and Trevecca Nazarene, and three games ahead of both Walsh and KWC (14-23, 12-8). By day's end, AU had a three-game lead over the second-place Cavaliers, Trojans and Northwood, and a four-game lead over the fourth-place Oilers.
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Ashland has won nine of its last 10 games, and 18 of its last 21 outings.
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Saturday's opener saw the Eagles take leads of 2-1 and 4-1 before the Panthers scored once in the seventh and thrice in the eighth to go ahead 5-4. Ashland, however, put up its own three-spot in the top of the ninth and held on for the victory. Junior first baseman
Ben Peltz delivered a two-run double for the eventual game-winning runs, and junior left fielder
Max Caron added an insurance RBI single.
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In Game 2, all senior right-handed pitcher
Justin Dyksma needed was a third-inning RBI single from junior third baseman
Jeremiah Cangelosi and a two-run safety from graduate shortstop
Devin Hukill in the fourth. That's because Dyksma (3-0) authored a seven-inning complete-game two-hit shutout. Dyksma struck out two and walked one for the Eagles' first complete-game shutout of 2024, and his first at AU.
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POST-GAME NUGGETS
- Junior right-hander Cameron Darrington became the 15th Eagle to start a game on the mound this season in Game 1, and did more than his part. He struck out seven and allowed four hits, a run and a walk in six innings.
- Graduate righty Cal Johnston (3-0) pitched two scoreless and hitless innings for the relief win.
- Ashland's 2-4 hitters in the opener – sophomore second baseman Gavin Dobbels (2-for-3, three runs, RBI, double, two stolen bases), Cangelosi (3-for-5, double, run scored, two RBIs) and Peltz (2-for-5, two doubles, two RBIs) combined to go 7-for-13 in the victory.
- In Game 2, Cangelosi was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
UP NEXT
The third and fourth games of the series on Sunday (April 21) at 1 p.m..
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