Due to inclement weather, the games that were originally scheduled for Friday and Saturday, got moved up to Thursday and Friday. Originally a four-game series was planned, but because of incoming snow, only one game was played on Friday.
Game 1
On a windy Thursday afternoon, the Bethel Pilots took an early 0-1 lead thanks to a homerun to centerfield. Oakland City answered back in the bottom of the second with a homerun from
Xander Willis. He drove in
Fred Fernandez who got on base with a lead-off double. The big fly from Willis made the score 2-1.
Mighty Oaks starting pitcher
Thomas King did not have much trouble after the early homerun. However, a two out double, a hit by pitch and a single in the sixth, allowed Bethel to tie the game at two. In the bottom of the seventh,
Artem Logvinov led off the inning with a single. He advanced to second on a wild pitch, just before
Aron Busick drew a walk. On an error made during a pick-off attempt at second base, Logvinov advanced to third. This allowed him to score on a sacrifice fly from
Noah Baugher. The Oaks won in walk-off fashion, final score: 3-2.
Thomas King threw 6.1 innings, allowing five hits, 2 runs (both earned), while walking one and striking out 10. His reliever was
Drew Fifer, who earned the win. In 2/3 of an inning, he did not allow a baserunner.
Game 2
The second game of the doubleheader was not as much of a nailbiter. The Mighty Oaks broke open the game in the third inning, scoring six runs. A walk for
Garrett Causey, a hit by pitch for
Blake Herrmann and a bunt single from
Artem Logvinov loaded the bases.
Noah Baugher got hit by a pitch, allowing the first run to score.
Sam Pinckert also got hit, making it a 2-0 game.
Fred Fernandez walked, bringing home a run.
Xander Willis connected for a 2-RBI single to make it 5-0.
The sixth run of the inning scored on a double steal attempt.
An inning later,
Garrett Causey connected for a deep drive to left field. The ball cleared the fence at Konkler Field, putting the seventh run on the scoreboard. The 8-0 was scored by
Sam Pinckert who doubled to get on base in the bottom of the fifth. Pinckert would eventually drive in the ninth and final run for the Mighty Oaks with a fielder's choice in the sixth inning.
Gehrig Tenhumberg started the game for Oakland City. He threw five shutout innings, giving up just three hits while striking out seven.
Cole Lambird (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO) and
Owen Spears (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO) came in out of the bullpen to close out the game.
Game 3
Due to incoming snow, the game started at 9:30 in the morning. The Mighty Oaks opened up the score in the third inning after
Aron Busick singled to start the inning. He advanced to second base on a throwing error.
Noah Baugher got on base thanks to an error, this allowed Busick to score the 1-0. Two innings later, Oakland City scored again and once again, an error was involved in the scoring.
Mason Simon led off the inning with a hit by pitch. He scored after
Aron Busick got on with a bunt single, an errant throw allowed Simon to score.
The Mighty Oaks scored again in the sixth inning. The bases loaded up thanks to a single for
Garrett Causey, a hit by pitch for
Blake Herrmann and a walk for
Mason Simon.
Aron Busick connected for a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0 after six innings of play. In the seventh inning, both teams scored, making it a 5-1 game now. RBIs came from
Fred Fernandez and
Oliver Hamilton (both singles). Bethel tried to come back and successfully scored two runs.
Kiefer Parsons came in in the ninth inning, collected to strikeouts and the save in this 5-3 victory for Oakland City.
The starting pitcher for Oakland City was
Benjamen Simmons. He hurled six shutout innings, giving up just one hit. He walked two and struck out eight.
Tommy Johnson (2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO),
Drew Fifer (0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO) and
Kiefer Parsons (S, 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO) came in the game to wrap up the game.
A busy week is coming up for the Mighty Oaks baseball team. On Tuesday, JV will host a game versus Frontier Community College. Thursday, Roosevelt University will travel to Oakland City for a varsity doubleheader. On the weekend, two doubleheaders versus Aquinas College are scheduled.
