Eagle Baseball Opens Home Schedule With Win Over Cavaliers

Ashland University's baseball team scored four runs each in the seventh and eighth innings on Thursday (March 13) at Tomassi Stadium and Donges Field at the Archer Ballpark Complex, as the Eagles opened their 2025 home and Great Midwest Athletic Conference schedule with an 11-4 win over Walsh.
 
The Eagles are 8-6 overall and 1-0 in the league, and the Cavaliers are 2-9, 0-1, after Game 1 of a four-game set.
 
"Took a few innings. We know we can swing it," said Ashland head coach John Schaly, who, with 1,322 career victories, is two away from tying Southeastern Oklahoma's Mike Metheny (1,324) as NCAA Division II's all-time winningest head baseball coach. "We tell them, hitting is contagious. A couple guys get going, then a couple more get going, then a couple more."
 
The scoreless tie was broken by the Eagles in the bottom of the fourth, when a two-out bloop landed on the right side of the infield, and an error on the same play allowed AU to score first.
 
Walsh came back with a run in the top of the fifth to knot the scoreboard again at 1, but with two outs in the bottom of the frame, senior catcher Ben Peltz delivered a run-scoring single to put the Eagles back on top.
 
Ashland tacked on a run in the sixth for a 3-1 advantage when freshman second baseman Gage Weaver collected an RBI single. The Cavaliers, however, responded with two in the top of the seventh for another tie.
 
The back-and-forth continued following the seventh-inning stretch, with the Eagles posting four runs on RBI singles from junior shortstop Collin Overholt and junior left fielder Billy Howard, then a two-run safety from senior center fielder Cam Miller.
 
Freshman right fielder Sean Krueckeberg launched a solo home run to begin the eighth, graduate designated hitter Max Caron followed with an RBI single, a sacrifice fly off the bat of Howard extended that advantage to 10-3, then freshman pinch-runner Colton Hunt stole home on a double steal to provide the final AU runs of the contest.
 
HITTING UP AND DOWN THE ORDER…AND THE REST OF THE STORY

• Senior third baseman Jeremiah Cangelosi, coming off a Great Midwest baseball Athlete of the Week award, was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a stolen base on Thursday.
• "He's swinging a hot bat for us right now," Schaly said.
• Caron ended 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, as AU collected 16 hits.
• Senior left-handed pitcher Brendan Beaver struck out eight and allowed four hits, a run and three walks in six innings. Another senior lefty, John Essig (1-0), earned the relief win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings and two strikeouts.
• "He (Beaver) threw well. John Essig did a good job coming out of the 'pen," Schaly said. "He (Beaver) threw a few more strikes. His strength is command. He's throwing it with velocity. That's the Brendan Beaver we know."

UP NEXT
Games 2 and 3 of the series on Friday (March 14) at 1:30 p.m. at home.