15 games.
That's the cushion the Ashland University baseball team currently holds above .500.
And over the past few games, they've had to grind for it, earning every bit of their win total along the way.
On Sunday, April 19, the Eagles concluded a four-game series against the Tiffin University Dragons with a walk-off win, 7-6. In the series, three of the four games came down to the eighth inning or beyond, with the Eagles' clutch hitting helping propel them to victories.
With just two more conference series to go until the 2026 regular season comes to a close, the team have put themselves in a great spot to finish the year with a top seed for the tournament.
In Sunday's nail-biter, the Eagles battled back and forth against the Dragons.
The Eagles opened up the game with solo home runs from both Collin Overholt and Sean Krueckeberg in the first inning, giving them a 2-0 advantage.
But Tiffin was able to respond right back in the second, plating five runs to take a 5-2 advantage in the middle innings.
Ashland was able to chip away at the deficit, scoring on a groundout to make the scoreline, 5-3, before both teams' offenses dried up. The next run of the game wouldn't be scored until the seventh inning of action. Krueckeberg again came up in the clutch for the Eagles, delivering an RBI single to bring the game within a single run.
The biggest swing of the game came in the ninth, when Overholt launched his second home run of the day to right-center field, tying the game at 5–5 and forcing extra innings.
Both sides would go scoreless in the 10th, before the Dragons regained control, going up with an RBI single, 6-5, in the top of the 11th.
With the game on the line the Eagles had one final response prepared.
With a runner in scoring position, Gage Weaver, Chris Franks ripped a double into right-center and tied up the game at six. Then, moments later, Billy Howard delivered the crushing blow as he lined one up the middle to bring Franks sprinting around the base paths.
The Eagles finished with 14 total hits on the day, with Krueckeberg and Overholt leading the charge at the plate.
Ashland now sits 28-13 on the campaign and 16-8 in conference play.
Up next, the Eagles will have a home bout against Slippery Rock from Tomassi Stadium and Donges Field at the Archer Ballpark Complex on Tuesday, April 21. The two sides will clash at 3:00 p.m. EST.Â
