Baseball splits at Mount Union in season finale

The Muskingum baseball team split in its season finale at Ohio Athletic Conference foe Mount Union on Saturday evening. The Muskies won the opener 7-4 and fell in the nightcap, 4-0.

The Basics 

• Records: Muskingum (15-23 overall, 6-12 OAC), Mount Union (21-16 overall, 9-9 OAC)
• Location: Alliance, Ohio – 23rd Street Field 
• Weather: 70 degrees and partly cloudy.

Inside the Numbers - Game One

• Muskingum scored seven runs on 10 hits and committed one error.
• Freshman Luke Currie led the Muskies going 3-for-4, which included a double and a home run, with two runs scored and three RBIs.
• Junior Marc Ibarra went 2-for-4 at the dish with an RBI.
• Sophomore Holden Martin went 2-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored.
• Junior Nate Mejia accrued three RBIs.
• Junior's Michael Pagano and Ben Van Wey, and freshman Ryan Hernandez each tallied a run scored.
• Junior Evan Hinds tallied his fifth win on the mound pitching a complete game allowing four runs on nine hits. He also registered four strikeouts.
• A double by Mejia in the top of the first inning scored Martin and Pagano to notch the first two runs. Martin singled to right field, while Pagano reached on a fielder's choice.
• Van Wey scored the third run off an RBI single by Currie in the top of the fourth inning. Van Wey opened the inning with a walk.
• In the top of the fifth inning, a sacrifice fly by Mejia allowed Martin to score the fourth run. Martin opened the inning with a single down the left field line.
• Currie smacked a two-run homer in the top of the sixth, bringing Hernandez across the plate. Hernandez struck out swinging, reached first on a pass ball.
• Currie scored the final run of the game off a sacrifice fly by Ibarra in the top of the ninth.  
• Mount Union scored four runs on nine hits and committed one error.
• Billy Goodall led the Purple Raiders attack going 3-for-5 at the plate with an RBI and run scored.
• On the mound, Phil Mary tossed the loss after surrendering six runs on nine hits in 7.0 innings.

Inside the Numbers - Game Two

• Muskingum tallied four hits and committed three errors.
• Pagano, Van Wey, Hernandez, and Currie each collected a hit for the Muskies.
• Freshman Nolan Fernandes took the loss on the mound allowing four runs on six hits. He also tossed three strikeouts.
• Mount Union scored four runs on seven hits.
• Johnny Thombs led the Purple Raiders by going 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored.
• Noah Skladan claimed the win pitching a complete game and allowing no runs on four hits.

Game Highlights

Muskingum jumped on the scoreboard early in game one as Mejia doubled down the right field line to bring Pagano and Martin across the plate in the top of the first inning to lead, 2-0. Mount Union then tied the contest at 2-2 after notching two runs in the bottom of the first. The next few innings were quiet until the top of the fourth when Currie singled through the left side, allowing Van Wey to score the run, making it 3-2. A sacrifice fly by Mejia in the top of the fifth inning and a two-run goner by Currie in the sixth inning pushed the Muskingum advantage to four, 6-2. The Purple Raiders gathered two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to get within two, 6-4. Muskingum scored the seventh and final run in the top of the ninth inning off a sacrifice fly by Ibarra to secure the victory.

In game two, neither team accumulated a run during the first two innings of play. Mount Union broke through in the bottom of the third inning as they scored two runs to hold an early 2-0 advantage. The Purple Raiders went on to score one in the fifth inning and one in the seventh inning to seal the win.

Up Next

• The twinbill concluded the 2018 season.