Baseball Loses Two Against No. 17 IU-Southeast

KINGSPORT, TN - UNOH baseball struggled to hold No. 17 IU-Southeast at bay Friday afternoon as the Grenadiers took both ends of a doubleheader 5-2 and 13-5.

The Racers started the day in front using a single and a wild pitch to set up a Seth Freeman double that scored Fabian Romero and put UNOH up 1-0 after one. The Racers kept IU-Southeast off the board through three but the Grenadiers put together and four-run fourth that gave them control of game one. UNOH got one back with a RBI single in the sixth but IUS got the run back in the seventh and finished the game with a 5-2 win.

Elida product Brayden Lybarger (0-1) took the loss after going three innings that saw him give up three runs on two hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Daniel Healy tossed four and two-thirds in relief allowing two runs on four hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Jeremy Yurcak threw the final third of an inning forcing a pop up out against the only batter he faced.  

IU-Southeast carried that momentum into game two and struck first in their first at-bat, but the Racers strung together three singles, two stolen bases and a walk to get in front 2-1 in the top of the first. The Grenadiers wasted no time getting the lead back with two in bottom but a Devon Tukes homer tied things up at three after three. That score held into the seventh before UNOH jumped back in front, 5-3, with back-to-back doubles that brought in two. Things fell apart in home eighth as IUS burned through Racer four pitchers with a combination of five hits, two hit batters a walk and an error that plated ten and blew the game open and gave the Grenadiers a 13-5 win.

Nick Soller got the start but only made it two-thirds of an inning giving up one run on two hits with two walks and a strikeout. Jeremy Yurcak finished the final out of the first inning striking out the only batter he faced. Josh Mauney took over in the second and worked four innings scattering six hits while allowing two runs with three walks and two strikeouts. Eliott Traver (0-1) made it two innings but was on the mound to start the eighth where he gave up the first three runs on four hits to take the loss. Noah Curi and Jordan Davis both attempted to to fend off IUS but neither could get an out as they combined for three runs, two earned, on just one hit with two walks between them. Sinjon Bobolia finished the final at-bat getting the final three outs but hit two batters and gave up four runs, three earned, on one hit with one strikeout.

Seth Freeman led the day for the Racers going 3-7 over the two games with two RBI and a walk. Joskar Feliciano finished 3-9 with one RBI over the two games and Devon Tukes logged a 2-7 afternoon that included a walk and a RBI. After struggling in game one, Drake Miller had his best offensive outing of the season in game two going 3-5 with a RBI.

UNOH will be off until next weekend when they head back to Tennessee for the Midwest Clash played at Freed-Hardeman. The Racers will face IU-South Bend and IU-Kokomo on Saturday with a follow up against IU-Kokomo to begin Sunday before finishing with host Freed-Hardeman.