Seventh Inning Rally Falls Short, Express Swept By Sinclair

By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information

Adrian, MI---The Express made a valiant comeback attempt in game one, but fell just short before getting swept in a home conference doubleheader against Sinclair Community College, 7-6 and 10-0.

The games were played at Adrian College's Nicolay Field because the field at Owens was not playable due to rain.

Game 1: Sinclair 7 Owens 6

The Express mounted a three-run seventh inning rally and had the bases loaded with one out but fell 7-6. Initially, Owens trailed by six runs after three and a half innings, but a solo home run by Ryan Hotmer (Lake/Millbury, Ohio) in the bottom of the fourth started an Express comeback effort.

Following Hotmer's shot, Blake Schmenk (Perrysburg/Perrysburg, Ohio) doubled to right field. Daniel Heatherly (Trenton/Trenton, Mich.) then doubled to left field cutting the lead to 6-2. After a groundout, Austin Gunn (Delta/Delta, Ohio) singled to right field to make the score 6-3 after four innings.

Sinclair added a run in the top of the sixth off Express reliever Kelley Wagner (Brownstown/Brownstown, Ind.) to make it 7-3, and that run would turn out to be very important.

In the bottom of the seventh, Gunn grounded out to third base to begin the inning before his teammates began a rally. Jesse Solomon (Wayne/Huber Heights, Ohio) singled to right field before Joe Sickler (Bowling Green/Bowling Green, Ohio) singled to right center - putting runners on first and third. A wild pitch then scored Solomon and advanced Sickler to second while the lead was cut to three.

Matt Hayes (North/Pickerington, Ohio) then doubled down the left field line to score Sickler and cut the lead to two. After a walk to Hotmer, Garrett Busch (Start/Toledo, Ohio) singled up the middle off the second baseman's glove to cut the lead to one.

On the throw, Busch moved to second as Danny Schira (Switzerland County/ Vevay, Ind.), who pinch ran for Hotmer, advanced to third.

Schmenk then walked to load the bases with one out. However, the rally would end there as Heatherly hit a sharp ground ball up the middle that Sinclair's second baseman grabbed and flipped to the shortstop, who then threw to first for the 4-6-3 game ending double play.

Zak Esposito (Sandusky/Sandusky, Ohio) started for the Express and suffered his first loss of the year (3-1). He allowed six runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out four over five innings. Kerns got the win for Sinclair.

Hayes (2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI), Busch (2-for-4, RBI) and Gunn (2-for-3, RBI) led the Express offensively. Wagner pitched the final two innings for Owens.

Game 2: Sinclair 10 Owens 0

The Express couldn't recover from the first game's demoralizing defeat as they were one-hit in a 10-0 defeat at the hands of Sinclair in the second game.

Sinclair jumped on Owens early with six runs in the second inning. They chased starter Jordan Basinger (Kalida/Kalida, Ohio) after five hits, a hit batter, two walks and two wild pitches in the second inning. Andy Joseph (Southview/Sylvania, Ohio) relieved him.

After the Tartan Pride got another run in the third, Nate Miceli (Berea/Berea, Ohio) walked for the Express in the bottom half to become their first baserunner.

Tyler Brown-Lewis (Shaker Heights/Shaker Heights, Ohio) took the mound for the Express in the fifth. Three walks, a strikeout and a hit batter later, the Express trailed 8-0. Heatherly relieved him with one out and struck the next two batters out to end the inning.

After Sinclair added two runs in the fifth off Heatherly, Schmenk broke up a no-hit bid for Sinclair by doubling off the right center field wall to lead off the bottom of the inning.

However, a strike out, a ground out and a strikeout ended the game. Basinger (3-2) took the loss.

Schmenk finished the game 1-for-2, while he also got the final out in the top of the seventh on the mound.

Notes:

The Express are now scheduled to travel to Tiffin, Ohio to take on Heidelberg JV today. The team now sits at 17-9 overall and 3-5 in the OCCAC.