By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Toledo, Ohio---The Owens Community College baseball team dropped a pair of games to Lakeland Community College at home today.
Game 1: Lakeland 4 Owens 3
Despite Blake Kuszmaul's (Bryan/Bryan, Ohio) solid relief performance, a fifth inning baserunning blunder prevented the Express from completing a comeback in today's first game.
The Express got an RBI single from Zach Kazmierski (Whitmer/Toledo, Ohio) in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead.
On the mound, Dru Sebastian (Blackhawk Christian/Fort Wayne, Ind.) started for the Express and threw three scoreless innings before running into trouble with one out in the fourth inning. The sophomore allowed a run and loaded the bases before Kuszmaul entered.
After striking out the first batter he faced, Kuszmaul had a wild pitch to score Lakeland's second run. Later in the at bat, he allowed a two-run single to center that put the visitors up three.
In the fifth, the Express got an RBI single from Tyler Byerly (Washington Township/Crown Point, Ind.) and an RBI double from Charlie Sipe (Northrop/Fort Wayne, Ind.) with two outs. In the next at bat, Alec Skender (Metamora/Metamora, Ill.) beat out an infield chopper to second, but Sipe was caught rounding third too far for the final out.
The only runner that reached for the Express in the final two innings came on a one-out single in the sixth inning by Taran Temple (Delta/Muncie, Ind.).
Sebastian was credited with giving up all four runs while falling to 0-2 this year. He went 3.1 innings and allowed three hits and four walks, while also registering four strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Lakeland's Michael Bear moved to 3-0 this year with a complete game performance. He allowed seven hits, three runs and zero walks while striking out five.
Offensively, the Express were led by Sipe (2-for-3, R, RBI) and Kazmierski (2-for-3, RBI). Byerly, Temple and Skender had the other three hits.
Game 2: Lakeland 9 Owens 1
Express starter Nick Street (Rockford/Rockford, Mich.) had a no-hitter through three innings, but was touched up for five runs in the fourth as the Express lost 9-1 in today's second game.
Matthew Zitny (Oxford/Oxford, Mich.) relieved him with no outs in the fourth and gave up two more runs in the inning. Then, in the fifth, Lakeland added two more runs to take a 9-0 lead.
The Express got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth via Payton Scott's (Mississinewa/Gas City, Ind.) RBI single to left field.
Street's (1-1) final line included three plus innings of three hit, five run, two walk and two strikeout pitching. Zitny's final line totaled 1.1 innings, four hits, four runs (three earned) and four walks, while he added one strikeout.
Nick Morrow (Fairfield/Fairfield, Ohio) pitched the final 2.2 innings. He allowed only one hit while striking out one.
Sipe went 2-for-4 to lead the Express offense.
Steve Dorsey (3-1) threw a complete game to pick up the win for Lakeland.
Wrap Up
The Express are now 8-14 overall and 3-5 in Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) play. They are scheduled to hit the road Thursday for a road doubleheader against Heidelberg University's JV team beginning at 2 p.m.