BASEBALL

The Huntington baseball team wrapped up their four-game series with Indiana Wesleyan by sweeping the Wildcats, 17-7, 2-1, Saturday afternoon at Wildcat Field. Just like yesterday, despite that it was a home series for HU, the games were played at IWU because of the field conditions at Forest Glen.

With these two wins and yesterday’s split, HU claims the regular season series 3-1 and improves to 17-13 overall, 15-7 in league play. The Foresters are currently third in the Crossroads League standings.

Game one was packed full of offense with Huntington not only taking a 4-1 advantage by the second frame but eventually run-ruling the Wildcats (19-18, 14-10) in the eighth.

While five Foresters posted multiple hits, Matt Wolff and Owen Young stole the show. Wolff finished with five hits which included a pair of two-run singles and a homer for five RBI while Young racked up four hits and just as many RBI.

Daniel Lichty added three hits and an RBI, Langston Ginder pounded out two hits and knocked in two runs and Satchell Wilson collected two hits and an RBI. Jarett Gray had just one hit, but it was a big one, a three-run homer in the seventh.

When all the dust settled, HU posted 18 hits and scored in six of the eight frames.

Starting pitcher Noah Arbuckle earned the win on the bump. In 5.1 innings of work, he gave up seven hits, four runs and three walks while striking out two.

The nightcap ended in walk-off fashion at the bat of Nick Davit who sent a bomb over the right field fence in the bottom of the seventh for a second heroic HU finish in less than 24 hours. Ian McCutcheon’s walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth of yesterday’s doubleheader opener sent Huntington home with a  3-2 win.

Davit also played a role in the Foresters’ first run in the fourth. After a single that advanced Young, who had reached first on an error, to third, he got into a run down that allowed Young to sneak home.

Young’s run knotted things up at 1-1 as Wesleyan struck first in their opening at-bat but it proved the only time they touched home in a game that had a completely different feel than game one.

Freshman Tyler Papenbrock never left the mound to pick up the complete-game win. He was sensational, giving up just seven hits, one run and three walks while striking out three.

The Foresters are back in action on Monday to make up a doubleheader with Marian at Forest Glen.