by Geoff Roberts/Owens Sports Information
Port Huron, Mich.---The Owens Community College baseball team was able to score 14 runs over two games on Wednesday afternoon to defeat the St. Clair County Community College Skippers on the road.
The Express were running often and finished 10-for-10 on stolen bases over the two matchups.
Game 1: Owens 7 St. Clair County 3
The Express utilized some late-inning magic to take game one of the doubleheader on Wednesday.
The Skippers scratched out two runs in the bottom of the second inning off Express starter Nick Morrow (Fairfield/Fairfield, Ohio), scoring two runs on three hits. Two scoreless innings followed for both teams and the score remained 2-0 heading into the top of the fifth.
The Express fifth inning kicked off with a single by Alex Samson (Orrville/Orrville, Ohio). Samson was able to put himself in scoring position by stealing second. Tyrus McAtee (Clay/Oregon, Ohio) didn't waste the chance to drive in a run and rocked an RBI double. McAtee advanced on a wild pitch and stood at third with two out for Alec Skender (Metamora/Metamora, Ill.).
Skender hit an RBI single to centerfield and advanced to second on an error by Skippers centerfielder Brian Bilbraut. After Skender advanced to third on a groundout to the second baseman, Zach Kazmierski (Whitmer/Toledo, Ohio) hit an RBI single to left field to score the third Express run of the inning.
St. Clair was able to get a run in the bottom of the fifth that tied the game at three.
Heading into the sixth inning, Owens started their rally when Anthony Perez (Orrville/Orrville, Ohio) reached second on a dropped ball by Bilbraut in center. Michael Finch (Norwalk/Norwalk, Ohio) then hit into a fielder's choice and St. Clair wasn't able to record an out on the play which left runners at first and third with no one out.
Finch advanced on a wild pitch and that opened first base for Samson to walk. McAtee grounded to the first baseman on the next play and the Skippers cut the run down at home on the force out of Perez. After a strikeout, bases were loaded with two outs for Skender. He walked, plating Finch.
Charlie Sipe (Northrop/Fort Wayne, Ind.) then hit a two-RBI double to bring in Samson and McAtee and give the Express the four run lead.
Owens held on to win the game 7-3.
Morrow finished his day after 4.2 innings of work, giving up three runs on nine hits, a walk and notching one strikeout.
Blake Kuszmaul (Bryan/Bryan, Ohio) picked up his first collegiate win after taking over for Morrow with two gone in the fifth and pitching the sixth inning. He finished with no hits, one walk and two strikeouts in 1.1 innings.
Dru Sebastian (Blackhawk Christian/Fort Wayne, Ind.) closed the game out in the seventh for Owens and gave up one hit but struck out the final batter.
McAtee finished 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a stolen base.
Sipe and Skender each had two RBI in the game.
Game 2: Owens 7, St. Clair County 6 (Eight innings)
The second game of the double header needed extra innings before the Express came out on top.
The matchup started fairly slow for both teams with neither team scoring until the top of the third inning.
Tiger Jaso (Kansas Lakota/Kansas, Ohio) got the first bit of Express offense in the third with a one-out single. Skender then walked. Sipe followed up by reaching on a fielder's choice. Owens had runners on first and third with two outs.
Kazmierski then grounded a ball to third where it was bobbled, allowing all runners to be safe and Jaso to score from third. Sipe and Kazmierski were then able to pull off a double steal with Chad Lupher (East Knox/Bladensburg, Ohio) at the plate. Lupher singled and brought in both runners to give Owens a 3-0 lead.
The Express put up a run each in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings while St. Clair scored one in the third and two in the fourth. That gave Owens the 6-3 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.
After two quick popouts to short from the Skippers, things got a little out of hand with two gone in the seventh. Yancarlos Hernandez got a single and Owen Kratt was hit by the pitch in the next at bat. Each runner then moved up a base on a Mike Vomastek single.
After Vomastek, Matthew Zitny (Oxford/Oxford, Mich.) was replaced by Sebastian. Bilbraut then hit an RBI single and then was followed by a two-RBI single from Dominic Chrcek to tie the game at six before the Express got out of the jam with a groundout to Skender.
In the eighth inning, Samson scored on a wild pitch by Chrcek and gave Owens the 7-6 lead.
Sebastian struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth to close the game for Owens and give them the doubleheader sweep.
Dustin Osborne (Barberton/Barberton, Ohio) started the game for Owens and went 2.1 innings, giving up one run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout.
Finch came in to relieve Osborne and went 2.2 innings, two runs on six hits with a walk and a stirkeout each.
Zitny lasted 1.2 with three runs on three hits.
Sebastian moved to 2-3 after getting the win in 1.1 innings of work with two hits, one walk and three strikeouts.
The Express stole 10 bases as a team in the second tilt. Kazmierski led the way with three steals, Sipe had two and Skender rounded it out with one.
Lupher finished the game 1-for-4 but cashed in two RBI.
Wrap-up
The Express moved to 12-22 after the two road wins. They will host the Cuyahoga Community College Challengers on Saturday and Sunday in Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) doubleheader.
Notes
Saturday and Sunday's doubleheaders will be the last home conference matchups of the regular season for the Express.