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 Posted: April 18, 2006 By: Sam McCarthy, Assistant Sports Information Director Crusaders Leave the Den With First Conference Sweep Since 2004 Capital 11, Ohio Northern 6 [Box Score] Capital 5, Ohio Northern 3 [Box Score] (ADA, Ohio)-- On April 17, 2004, Capital University's baseball team swept Ohio Northern University at Clowson Field by scores of 6-4 and 8-6. Over two years later, the Crusaders get their first Ohio Athletic Conference sweep since that date as they defeated the Polar Bears 11-6 and 5-3 at Wander Field in Ada, Ohio. Capital has now won four of its past five games and improve to 12-15 on the season, 4-4 in the OAC. Ohio Northern falls to 4-21, 0-8 in the conference. Game one saw the Crusaders race out to a 6-1 lead after three innings as they would push across three runs in the first and third innings. Sophomore second baseman Ryan Hutchison (Columbus/Whitehall-Yearling) picked up a hit in each inning to go along with two runs scored and two RBIs. After posting a run in fourth and fifth innings, the Crusaders came with a knockout blow in the top of the seventh as pinch-hitter Mike St. John (Perrysburg/Perrysburg) doubled in two runs to cap off a three-run inning and make the score 11-2. The Polar Bears started a comeback in the bottom of the seventh and scored four runs off of senior reliever Marcus Mercer (North Canton/Hoover), but couldn't get any closer, ultimately losing 11-6. Senior Aaron Hurney (Chesterville/Sparta-Highland) picked up his second win in as many appearances, going six innings, giving up only three hits, while walking and striking out two apiece. The right-handed hurler is now 2-4 on the season. Another three-run outburst for the Crusaders in the first inning of game two came mostly via three Polar Bears errors. Junior center fielder Jake Butler (Newark/Licking Valley) got the only Capital hit of the inning, knocking in Mike St. John who had reached just a batter prior on an error by Ohio Northern's third baseman Josh Conkey. Junior third baseman Graham Holmberg (Newark/Newark) hit his fourth home run of the year in the top of the fifth to give Capital a 5-2 advantage and Ohio Northern would score a run in the bottom of the sixth, but would not get any closer as Holmberg pulled double-duty and came in to close the contest. Holmberg tossed the final one and two-thirds innings in relief of starter Chris Trainer (Chillicothe/Unioto) and did not allow a hit to record his fourth save of the year. Trainer hurled five-plus innings and gave up only three runs on seven hits, while striking out three. He is now 3-3 on the season, leading the Crusaders pitching staff in victories. Butler was 5-7 on the day with four runs scored and three RBIs, while Holmberg was 4-7 and increased his team lead in RBIs as he picked up three to get to 28 on the year. Coming off its second conference sweep of the Greg Weyrich era, Capital will return home on Saturday to face Baldwin-Wallace College in an OAC double-header at 1 p.m. at Clowson Field. |
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