ONU SPLITS FINAL DAY OF A FOUR GAME SERIES AT TAYLOR (IND.)

UPLAND, Ind. – The Olivet Nazarene University baseball team (7-7) split the final two games of a four-game series with Taylor (Ind.) (7-7) Saturday afternoon. The Tigers fell in extra innings in the first game of the day, 6-5 to turn around and win the final game against the Trojans 4-3. Center fielder, Donovan Yelle, led ONU with five hits and three RBIs across both contests.

Game 1: Taylor (Ind.) 6, Olivet Nazarene 5

The Tigers benefitted from scoring four unanswered runs within the first four innings. Taylor Steig put the first tally on the scoreboard. Jack Dupuis led-off with a hit by pitch and reach third by way of a Kai Hudson triple. Steig singled to the shortstop to from Dupuis home from third. In the following at bat, Yelle registered his first RBI of the day hitting a ball back up the middle with Kai Hudson scoring.

ONU put up a run in the second and fourth inning to build a 4-0 lead. Steig hit for his second RBI in as many innings as a double to center field scored the game's third run. Kai Hudson rounded the bases from first base on the double scoring a run for the second time. Dupuis went yard for the fourth time this season clearing the wall for a lead off home run in the fourth.

Ethan Underwood took the mound as Olivet's starter tossing four scoreless innings to start the day and struck out a season-high 10 strikeouts. The right-handed hurler did not allow a hit in the opening innings prior to Taylor's two runs in the fifth and lasted for six innings. The Trojans took advantage of a triple to put up their first run of the game with the following batter singling for the crooked number.

Taylor took their first lead of the day after scoring four unanswered runs. They scored three runs in the seventh inning beginning followed by a two-out double down the line scoring two runs and taking the 5-4 advantage. The home team led off the bottom of the eighth with another solo home run for the all-important insurance run.

The Tigers manufactured a run with two outs in the ninth to cut the lead to one but failed to send the game to extra innings. Evan Pogioli was credited with the RBI as his sac-fly scored Kai Hudson for the third time and the final run of the game.

Game 2: Olivet Nazarene 4, Taylor (Ind.) 3

ONU avoided the series sweep claiming the victory in the final game. The Tigers jumped out to a 3-0 run with Yelle driving home two runs. The senior from Maple Valley, Wash. doubled in the first and singled in the third to score Kai Hudson both times. Masen Beatty recorded his second RBI of the series as his ball-in-play scored Taylor Steig.

Tommy Castro took the mound for the Tigers and was credited with his second win of the year. The senior right-handed pitcher went five innings and struck out six batters. He now sits in second on the team with 18 strikeouts on the year.

Taylor cut the lead to one run following a two-run homerun in the bottom of the fourth inning. The two ball clubs traded runs in the fifth as Olivet benefited from a balk to score Yelle and restored a two-run lead. The lead went back to one run in the bottom half of the inning as the Trojans scored with two outs and a man on third base.

Jonathan Simpson entered the ballgame in the sixth inning for the six-out save, his second save of the year. The senior pitched a clean sixth inning and pitched Taylor into a game ending six-four-three double-play.

WHAT'S NEXT

ONU will head to Fayette, Mo. next week to play a four-game round robin series starting Thursday, Mar. 2 with a game against William Woods at 10 a.m. CT followed by a 1 p.m. CT game against Columbia (Mo.). Please visit ONUTigers.com for all the links to follow along.

--ONU—

*Contact: Patrick Kaindl; Sports Information Graduate Assistant, email pkaindl@olivet.edu.