By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Toledo, OH---Jordan Basinger came within one out of a no-hitter as the Express swept Lakeland Community College to move into sole possession of second place in the OCCAC.
Game 1: Owens 4 Lakeland 1
Lakeland jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, but it would be their only scoring of the game as a trio of Express pitchers shut down Lakeland from there.
In the second inning, the Express took a 2-1 lead on RBI singles from Nick Collins and James Moore Jr. Collins was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.
In the second and third innings, Express starter Garrett Scott worked out of jams to keep the game close. Sean Koerber relieved him to begin the fourth and retired the side in order.
Then, in the bottom half, the Express scored twice more on a two out, two-run single by Michael Louis. Koerber then held Lakeland scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings.
Clayton Ruch took over for Koerber in the seventh. He allowed a single and a walk, but struck out two to end the game and pick up his fourth save.
Scott's final line included three innings, three hits, one run and two walks. Koerber (2-2), who was credited with the win, also pitched three innings and allowed only two hits while striking out two.
Moore and Horvath each had two hits for the Express. Moore finished 2-for-3 with a run, one RBI and a stolen base, while Horvath finished 2-for-3. Louis was 1-for-4 with two RBIs.
Gabe Goldsberry picked up a complete game loss for Lakeland. He allowed 10 hits, four runs and one walk while striking out six.
As a team, the Express were 10-for-26 offensively with a walk and four stolen bases.
Game 2: Owens 5 Lakeland 1
Basinger lost a no-hitter and a shutout with two outs in the seventh inning, but the Express picked up another solid win, 5-1.
With a runner on second, Lakeland's Jordan Pratt doubled past Daniel Heatherly in left field to score Todd Queener and ruin the no-hit bid.
Basinger was dominant against Lakeland. He retired the first seven batters he faced. Prior to the seventh inning, the only batters that reached came on two errors and a wild pitch on a strikeout. He finished with nine strikeouts and one walk.
While Basinger was dealing, the Express offense had threats in every inning except the third. In the first, Nate Manis walked and scored on a wild pitch prior to an RBI single by Heatherly. The Express stranded the bases loaded, but took a 2-0 lead through one.
In the second, Moore led off with a walk and later scored on a two-out RBI single by Myles Debol.
In the fourth, Travis Tackett led off with a double, Moore walked, and Manis singled on a bunt to load the bases. Horvath and Debol then had back-to-back RBI singles to put the Express up 5-0.
Manis, Horvath and Debol combined to go 5-for-7 with two runs, three RBIs, four walks and one stolen base. Debol was 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two walks, while Horvath was 2-for-3 with a run, an RBI, a walk and a stolen base.
As a team, the Express finished 7-for-22 with a double, nine walks and three stolen bases.
With the win, Basinger moved to 1-1 this season, while Anthony Labondano took the loss for Lakeland. He went the first five innings and allowed seven hits, five runs, seven walks and three wild pitches while striking out seven.
Notes
The Express moved to 9-18 overall, but 5-3 in the OCCAC, which is good for solo possession of second place behind Sinclair Community College. Lakeland falls to 11-13 overall and 3-5 in the OCCAC.
The four-game winning streak for the Express is a season high.
Owens is scheduled to resume action this Wednesday at home against Adrian College at 3 p.m. It will be a doubleheader.
