By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information

Dayton, Ohio---The Owens Community College baseball team couldn't find the strike zone often enough as they were swept by No. 16 Sinclair Community College on the road today.

Despite complete game performances from Kyle Bennett (Grove City/Grove City, Ohio) and Robbie Bekier (Cardinal Stritch/Toledo, Ohio), that duo combined for 13 walks.

In the first game, Bennett started and walked the first two batters he faced and both ended up scoring as Sinclair jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

In the third, Bennett's offense tied the game up. Francis Vasquez (Norman Thomas/New York, N.Y.) and Casey Gose (Genoa/Genoa, Ohio) led off the inning with back-to-back singles. After a fielder's choice groundout put runners on the corners, Charlie Sipe (Northrop/Fort Wayne, Ind.) had an RBI single and Benjamin Breymier (North Central/Indianapolis, Ind.) followed with an RBI double to tie it up. Sipe was thrown out at the plate on Breymier's double trying to give Owens the lead.

In the fifth, Sipe tripled to right field with two outs and scored on a wild pitch to give Owens a 3-2 lead.

However, a leadoff walk by Bennett, followed by a bunt single in the next at bat put the first two runners on in the home half of the fifth. Shortly thereafter, Sinclair put across two runs to take a 4-3 lead through five.

In the sixth, Jake Norbut (Grove City/Grove City, Ohio) nearly tied the game, but he was stranded on third after doubling with one out and advancing to third on a fly out.

In the home half, Bennett got a leadoff strikeout, but walked the next two batters. Similar to earlier in the game, both of those runners came around to score and make it 6-3. The Owens offense was then sent down 1-2-3 by Sinclair's starting pitcher Mitch Asman to end the game.

Bennett (1-2) allowed just six hits over six innings of work, but fell victim to seven walks. He struck out three. On the other side, Asman (4-1) didn't walk any while striking out three and allowing eight hits in seven innings.

Offensively, the 3-4 hitters for Owens, Sipe and Breymier, each finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Sipe added a run. Zach Coffield (Eastwood/Bowling Green, Ohio) and Vasquez scored the other two runs, and four others picked up one hit apiece aside from Sipe and Breymier.

Jimmy White led Sinclair's offense with a 2-for-2, two RBI, one run performance.

In the second game, Bekier was a tough luck loser as Owens fell 2-0.

In the first, the Owens offense loaded the bases with no outs when Gose singled, Coffield was hit by a pitch and Sipe walked. However, none of the runners scored as Breymier struck out, Marcus Rozsa (All Saints Secondary/Whitby, Ontario, Canada) grounded into a fielder's choice with Gose being thrown out at home, and Norbut struck out.

In the bottom half, Bekier walked Alex Young, the leadoff batter. After he got the next two batters, Bekier and the Owens defense saw Young steal second and third. On the steal of third, Coffield's throw was errant, allowing Sinclair to take a 1-0 lead on an unearned run.

Bekier and Sinclair's starting pitcher, Alex Anders, both settled down and retired 12 of the game's next 13 hitters. Neither team put more than one runner on until the bottom of the fifth when Sinclair got a leadoff single, a stolen base and a one out walk. Young then singled on a bunt to score his team's second run. A double play ended the inning following that.

The final six Owens batters went down in order against Anders to end the game.

Anders (4-1) allowed just two hits over seven innings with one walk and eight strikeouts. He faced just four batters over the minimum. The only two batters he allowed hits to were Gose and Breymier.

Bekier (2-1), meanwhile, was nearly as dominant aside from six walks. The redshirt freshman allowed just two hits and two runs (one earned), while striking out three.

The games marked the beginning of conference play, and the two teams will meet again with a doubleheader on Sunday. Owens fell to 6-6 overall and 0-2 in OCCAC play, while Sinclair improved to 19-3 overall and 2-0 in OCCAC play. They have now won 12 straight heading into Sunday's weekend conclusion.