BASEBALL

The Forester baseball team settled for a regular season split with Mount Vernon over the weekend at the Cougar Baseball Field. After splitting with MVNU yesterday, HU did so again Saturday afternoon with the two squads trading lopsided wins.

The guests enjoyed a 15-4 win in the opener after which the Cougars returned the favor by handing Huntington a 12-3 loss.

Huntington’s top of the order accounted for much of their offense in the opener. Lead-off Bryce Deckman went 3-for-4 at the plate with two of his hits accounting for three runs driven in. He picked up a fourth RBI when he was hit by a pitch with bases loaded.

Dylan Rost, in the two-hole, also posted big offensive numbers. The junior transfer went 4-for-5 from the plate which included a two-run dinger in the third and a two-run single in the sixth.

Other offensive highlights for Frame’s crew included Kade Flores’ two-run single and RBI- base pokes by Sebastian Kuhns, Cam Clarkson, Jordan Malott and Owen Imel. As a team, HU finished 19-for-40 from the plate.

The big disparity by game’s end wasn’t always the case. The two teams played to a 3-3 deadlock after three innings of play before HU went off for 12 runs in the final six frames while giving up just one more run with Noah Arbuckle to blame for MVNU’s dried up offense.

After giving up a three-run shot in the third, the senior hurler allowed just one more run in his eight innings of work. When all was said and done, he gave up ten hits, four runs and two walks while striking out three in the winning effort.

Game two was a similar story, except the two teams flip-flopped roles. After the hosts scored in the home half of the first, HU countered with a pair of runs in the second. Malott opened up the frame with a double and then came around to score on an error. A Kuhns single put runners on the corners setting the stage for a double steal that resulted in another run for a 2-1 Huntington lead.

The wheels fell off for the Foresters after that. Frame’s crew gave up five runs in the bottom of the inning and then proceeded to get outscored 6-1 after that. HU’s final run in the sixth came by way of a wild pitch.

Huntington sent five pitchers to the bump with Max Meisner taking the loss. He got through the first inning but was chased off in the second having given up two hits, three runs and three walks.

Malott and Kuhns finished with two hits apiece to account for four of their team’s seven base knocks.

With this split, HU moves to 12-11 overall which includes a 7-5 conference record. The Foresters host Bethel next weekend.