On Wednesday (March 19) afternoon at Tomassi Stadium and Donges Field at the Archer Ballpark Complex, Ohio Dominican's baseball team took an 8-0 lead through 4½ innings.
As it turned out, the Panthers did it too fast.
The Eagles followed ODU's eight consecutive runs with 13 in a row of their own over their last four at-bats, leading to a 13-8 win. The game was a non-conference match-up, leaving AU with a mark of 12-6 overall and with a six-game winning streak.
"Our guys aren't going to quit," said Ashland head coach
John Schaly. "We're a good hitting team. Thought it was just a matter of time."
Ohio Dominican is 7-13.
Ashland started the rally in the bottom of the fifth with a five-spot, highlighted by a two-run single from redshirt freshman right fielder
Sean Krueckeberg.
Then, in the seventh, the Eagles came all the way back and took a 9-8 lead thanks to four runs – capped off by sophomore pitch-hitter
Kaiden Mastri's two-run single.
Krueckeberg then punctuated the comeback with a grand slam in the eighth. His six RBIs came in three at-bats after not starting the game, and are the most in a game for an Eagle in four years.
"He's playing well, and we believe in him," Schaly said of Krueckeberg, who is tied for the team lead with four home runs this season in only 38 at-bats. "He's also a pretty good pitcher. He's playing well."
Said Krueckeberg, "We fight hard, and we were down early, but we knew that we had it in us. We've battled adversity all year. We showed today that we could come from behind and get the win.
"It's all I could ask for. I just want to help the team in any way possible."
THE RESERVES GET IT DONE…AND THE REST OF THE STORY
- Junior right-handed pitcher David Smith (1-0) earned his first win as an Eagle with two scoreless innings of relief, and senior righty Chase Carter picked up his third save by getting the last four outs.
- "Bullpen was big. David Smith was really big," Schaly said. "Put up two zeroes when we were trailing, gave us a chance."
- Senior third baseman Jeremiah Cangelosi and Mastri, both of whom didn't start the contest, each drove in two runs, and of AU's 14 hits, two each came from Krueckeberg, Cangelosi, senior center fielder Cam Miller, junior left fielder Billy Howard, graduate designated hitter Max Caron, and junior shortstop Collin Overholt.
- Ashland made no errors in the field for the first time since the last game of the Florida trip vs. Point Park on March 8.
UP NEXT
Back to conference play for consecutive home games No. 6-9 on Friday-Sunday (March 21-23) against Thomas More.
