BASEBALL

The HU baseball team split a twin bill with Indiana Wesleyan (19-16, 14-8) Friday afternoon to move to 15-13 on the year which includes a 13-7 CL record. While it was considered a home series for Frame’s crew, the games were moved to IWU because of a soggy outfield at Forest Glen.

Ian McCutcheon’s walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth lifted his team past IWU 3-2 in the opener. It was a wide range of emotion for both squads in the ninth as the Wildcats finally strung together three hits to the tune of two runs to knot things up at 2-2, much to the chagrin of HU, but those emotions quickly flip-flopped with one swing.

Leading off the bottom of the frame, McCutcheon looked at three balls and a strike before his blast turned a relatively quiet HU dugout into a frenzy of celebration.

The game’s only other offense was late in the game as well. Daniel Lichty’s solo shot in the sixth gave Huntington a 1-0 lead. The eighth saw Kallen Kelsheimer double his way on base after which his pinch runner Sam Kimmorley, after making his way to third on a 5-3 groundout, caught the Wildcats off guard by stealing home to bring HU’s run total to two before the flurry of activity in the ninth.

Camden Dice had a day on the mound. He went the distance, scattering five hits, two runs and a walk, while striking out nine for the nine-inning complete-game win. He was relentless through the first eight frames, giving up just two hits and a walk before the Wildcats finally found some offense in the ninth.

After game one’s pitcher’s duel, both teams got their bats going in the nightcap to make for a 10-8 contest that went back-and-forth several times and took an extra frame for the Wildcats to clinch the win.

Tied up 7-7 after seven, the Wildcats sent two long in the eighth to jump in front 10-7. Unfortunately the Foresters could only get one back, compliments of a Jarret Gray RBI-double, to tip the win in IWU’s favor. Eight of Wesleyan’s ten runs came by way of four long balls.

The Foresters finished with two dingers, a two-run blast by Jaden Deel in the second and a solo shot by Owen Young in the fourth. Other run-producing hits for HU included RBI-singles by Satchell Wilson and McCutcheon.

When all was said and done, Huntington finished with ten hits. After logging three hits in the opener, Wilson did the same in the game two while Gray added a pair of base pokes as did Deel.

Isaac Horton was charged with the game-two loss. He tossed 3.2 innings and gave up four hits and three runs while striking out two.

Huntington is back at IWU today at 3:00 p.m. for another doubleheader with the Wildcats.