Ashland University's baseball team trailed 6-2 after 2½ innings on Thursday (March 6), then rallied for a 9-7 victory over Wayne State as the annual Florida Spring Break trip continues.
The Eagles are 6-5, and the Warriors are 4-5.
Thursday's victory was Ashland head coach
John Schaly's 1,320
th as a collegiate head coach – four away from tying Mike Metheny (1,324) of Southeastern Oklahoma for the most wins in NCAA Division II baseball history.
After the Warriors scored in the top of the first inning, the Eagles responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame. Senior catcher
Ben Peltz drove in a run on a groundout, then junior first baseman
Sam Witt came across on a wild pitch.
Ashland went ahead 3-1 in the second on an RBI double from freshman right fielder
Sean Krueckeberg, but Wayne State responded with a five-spot in the third.
An RBI double from junior designated hitter
Chris Franks in the bottom of the third made it a 6-4 game a third of the way through the game. Witt knotted the score at 6 in the fourth on a two-run double, then senior third baseman
Jeremiah Cangelosi's run-scoring single in the same frame gave AU the lead back at 7-6.
Wayne State rallied with a run in the top of the sixth for a 7-7 tie, but back-to-back home runs from Krueckeberg and Witt kept the back-and-forth going and left AU leading 9-7.
STRONG AT THE TOP…AND THE REST OF THE STORY
- Ashland's first three hitters in the order collected seven hits, six runs scored and six RBIs – Krueckeberg (2-for-4, double, homer, two runs scored, two RBIs), Witt (3-for-4, double, homer, three runs scored, three RBIs) and Peltz (2-for-5, double, runs scored, RBI).
- Senior center fielder Cam Miller was 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs scored.
- Sophomore right-handed pitcher Carter McFarland (1-0) struck out three in 1 2/3 scoreless inning for the relief win, and senior righty Chase Carter struck out three in two scoreless frames for his second save of 2025.
UP NEXT
Friday (March 7) at 3:45 p.m. vs. California, Pa. in Davenport, Fla..
