ADRIAN, Mich. – The baseball team hosted 16th-ranked Heidelberg University on Tuesday in the second meeting between the schools this season. The Student Princes won for the second time this season with a comeback 13-12 win in 10 innings after trailing 6-0 after two innings.
Adrian (4-4) played a very good four innings with a six-run lead and Shane Healy struggled with his command but still held Heidelberg off the board. Healy got his first start and threw five innings allowing three hits and one earned run. He did walk seven and strike out three throwing 96 pitches (48 strikes). Heidelberg scored three in the fifth including two runs on a two-out error by Ryan Dorow. Adrian added a run in the bottom of the fifth but Heidelberg scored four more times in the sixth to make it 7-7. Zach Ranney gave up five hits in the inning but just one earned run after an error by Ben Yax at shortstop.
The Bulldogs regained the lead 8-7 with a run in the sixth. Dorow had a leadoff double and later scored with two outs on a RBI single through the left side by Mitch Stefanski. The Student Princes tied the game in the eighth but also stranded runners on second and third with no outs. Cory Fox allowed a run to score on a throwing error after pitching a scoreless seventh. Fox was replaced by Greg Sombati who struck out Travis Oldham swinging and Alex Grove to pop out in foul ground to Stefanski at third.
Adrian had a very good chance to win it in the ninth as R.J. Rios singled through the right side with one out and Hayden Craig followed with a four-pitch walk. Tommy Eng was brought in to pinch hit with two outs and both runners moved up a bag after a passed ball. Eng had a seven-pitch at-bat but struck out looking to send the game into extras.
Sombati gave up five runs and four hits in the 10th as the big hit came from Grove with a two-run single to right to break the tie with the bases loaded. Adam Hershberger also had a RBI single and Derek Hendrixson had a RBI on a fielder's choice. Joe Staab singled through the left side on a steal attempt clearing the hole and allowing for the 13-8 lead.
The Bulldogs did not give up though in the bottom half of the inning. Hendrixson came into pitch after playing shortstop from the start and gave up four runs (three earned). Sam Fischer reached on an error by Hershberger at third base to start the rally and Dorow doubled for the second time. Drew Shutes fouled out to the catcher for the first out and then Dan Heatherly had an infield RBI single. Stefanski with one swing made things very interesting. He tripled to right center scoring two and a throwing error allowed him to come all the way home to make it 13-12. Rios and Craig could not sustain the rally however with a flyout to left and a groundout to end the game.
Sombati took the loss (0-1) going 2.2 innings and allowing five hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Chris Thomas was the fourth pitcher for Heidelberg and got the win (3-0). Thomas threw three innings and allowed two hits and no runs in a 41-pitch effort. Stefanski recorded four RBI going 3-for-6. Yax went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks in the eighth spot. Ian Makowski got his first hit as a Bulldog on a perfect bunt single and also walked twice. Fischer scored three runs and Rios went 3-for-6 with a run scored.