BASEBALL

The #25 Foresters showcased both dominance and resilience Thursday afternoon, sweeping the Grace Lancers at Tom Roy UPI Park. After rolling to a 15-0 win in the opener, HU erased a deficit in the nightcap to secure a 9-7 victory.

With the sweep, HU improves to 28-9 overall and 18-8 in Crossroads League play. With 10 regular season games remaining, the Foresters sit third in the league standings.

Game 1 – Huntington 15, Grace 0
Huntington left no doubt in the opener, pairing dominant pitching with an explosive offensive showing.

Max Engle set the tone on the mound, allowing just one hit over five innings while striking out eight to earn the win. The Forester staff combined for a one-hit shutout with eight punchouts and three walks.

At the plate, HU was relentless, scoring in six of seven innings while racking up 15 runs on 12 hits with 13 walks. The Foresters produced six extra-base hits and 14 RBI in a complete offensive effort.

Owen Imel led the charge, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and a pair of doubles. Tanner Reinartz matched that production with two doubles and a game-high four RBI, while Braden Kauffman added three RBI, including a key two-run double in the third.

Huntington broke things open early, plating three runs in the third before exploding for nine runs across the fourth and fifth innings. Reinartz, Imel and Kade Flores all delivered extra-base hits during the surge as the Foresters turned the game into a runaway.

Game 2 – Huntington 9, Grace 7
The nightcap told a much different story.

After Owen Willard put HU on the board with an RBI double in the first, the Lancers responded with six unanswered runs to take control at 6-1.

But the Foresters flipped the script in the fifth – without relying on big hits.

Huntington showed patience at the plate, drawing four straight walks to open the inning and eventually turning it into a six-run frame. Keifer Wilson delivered an RBI single before Imel capped the rally with a two-run knock up the middle to give HU a 7-6 lead.

Grace answered right back, capitalizing on a pair of Forester errors and a sac fly to even things at 7-7 in their home half of the frame.

That set the stage for Huntington’s late-game heroics.

In the seventh, Zach Pelletier lifted a sac fly to plate the go-ahead run before Reinartz added insurance with a solo shot. Dylan Eggl then shut the door, retiring the side in order to secure the save.

Aidan Micinski earned the win out of the bullpen, tossing two innings and allowing just one unearned run.

Offensively, the Foresters totaled nine runs on eight hits and seven walks, all but one in the fifth, with Reinartz, Imel and Pelletier each driving in multiple runs.

Huntington returns to Tom Roy UPI Park on Saturday at 1 p.m. to wrap up the series with Grace.