BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – After picking up a doubleheader sweep over the Fighting Bees to open the CCAC schedule back in March, the Olivet Nazarene University baseball team picked up a win in a two-game set Wednesday over St. Ambrose at Watson Field to win the season series.
The Tigers opened the doubleheader with a 20-3 thrashing of the Fighting Bees. ONU went on to build a sizeable lead in the nightcap, but St. Ambrose rallied to pull off the 7-6 win and spoil the season sweep.
The Purple & Yellow Gold scored runs in all seven innings of game one, including multiple runs in each of the first five frames. Taylor Steig (5), Kai Hudson (4), and Evan Pogioli (3) all recorded multi-RBI games to lead the rampant ONU offense. Erick Cerezo picked his second win as the ONU starter, going four innings and allowing just three earned runs.
The hot offense carried over into the second game of the set, with ONU three runs in the first and two more in the second to build an early 5-0 lead. Hudson recorded RBIs in both innings to get the team in front.
St. Ambrose (18-17, 12-10 CCAC) got on the board in the second with a run and added two more with a homer in the third, but a pinch-running Vince Martinez wheeled home on an error in the fourth to extend the lead back to three.
The Fighting Bees responded with two more runs in the fifth to cut the lead to one. Sam Reczek maintained the ONU lead with a spectacular grab in the fifth, robbing a St. Ambrose would-be home run over the wall in right to hold the lead at 6-5. It was all for not, however, as SAU raced in front with a pair of runs in the seventh to take the lead. The game was called an inning later due to darkness.
The Tigers will now travel to Indiana for a four-game road series at IU-South Bend Friday and Saturday.
The Tigers opened the doubleheader with a 20-3 thrashing of the Fighting
–ONU—
*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu
