Huntingburg, IN – For a midweek contest, the Mighty Oaks took the field in League Stadium versus the Blue Raiders of Lindsey Wilson College. A close game was decided by a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth.
The Blue Raiders opened the score in the first inning, however the Mighty Oaks were able to tie the game up in the bottom half of the inning.
Aron Busick led off the inning with a single, after which he was able to advance to third base on a throwing error. He scored right away, after
Noah Baugher hit a ball to right field for a sacrifice fly.
The second inning was a big one for Oakland City.
Garrett Causey led off the inning with a walk, followed by a single from
Alec Pruitt. With one out,
Jared Kirkman hit a single which allowed
Garrett Causey to score. An RBI groundout from
Aron Busick followed, before
Noah Baugher doubled to right centerfield which scored another run. This gave the Mighty Oaks a 4-1 lead.
The Oakland City lead grew in the third, after
Sam Pinckert led off with a double. Pinckert scored on an RBI single from
Victor Alvarez. He scored, after
Garrett Causey drew a walk and
Alec Pruitt singled up the middle.
Chase Christie walked, loading up the bases. Unfortunately, the Mighty Oaks were not able to capitalize, as the Blue Raiders defence was able to get three straight outs.
Lindsey Wilson came back in the game in the fourth inning. They brought the score to 6-5, making it a close game again. One inning later, a 2-run homerun gave the Blue Raiders the lead. The score was now 6-7 after five innings.
In the bottom of the seventh, with the bases loaded and two outs,
Jared Kirkman hit an RBI single to tie the game at seven. The score would remain at 7-7 until the bottom of the ninth.
With a chance to walk it off for the Mighty Oaks,
Alec Pruitt got on after being hit by a pitch. His courtesy runner,
Bailey Taylor advanced to second base on a stolen base with two outs.
Aron Busick walked, bringing
Noah Baugher up to the plate. Baugher, who had been swinging a hot stick all day, brought home the winning run with a single up the middle. Taylor scored the 8-7 to complete the Mighty Oaks victory.
Tommy Johnson started on the bump for Oakland City, he threw four innings, allowing eight hits, five runs, four of which were earned, while walking one and striking out three.
Hunter Callahan came in out of the bullpen, throwing one inning, giving up one hit, two runs (both earned) while walking one and striking out none.
Owen Spears dominated the Blue Raiders lineup, throwing three innings without allowing a hit or run, he walked one and fanned two.
Milan van der Breggen threw the ninth inning, allowing one hit and no runs while striking out one, he earned his second win of the season.
Next up for the Mighty Oaks is an important River States Conference series versus Alice Lloyd College. This will be the last weekend series scheduled to be played at home, in League Stadium. The games are scheduled to be played on Friday at 3:00 PM, followed by a doubleheader on Saturday started at noon.
