By Tim Glon

DELAWARE — No. 23-ranked Ohio Northern built a big lead and held off Ohio Wesleyan 7-4 in a non-conference baseball game Monday afternoon at Littick Field.

The Polar Bears improve to 17-4, while the battling Bishops fall to 14-5.

Senior Dan Belliveau went 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI and freshmanBrandon Kasberg was 3-for-4 with a run scored and three RBI to lead the ONU offense.

Northern plated four runs in the top of the third to take an early 4-0 lead.

Kasberg plated the first run with a single to score junior Clay Small, who led off the inning with a walk.

Freshman Hayden Shenefield followed with a single to score Kasberg and Belliveau drilled a 2-run single to finish the rally.

The Polar Bears added two runs in the sixth on RBI singles by Small and Kasberg and another in the seventh on another RBI single by Kasberg to go up 7-2.

But OWU scored once in the eighth to pull within 7-3 and loaded the bases with none out in the ninth.

But senior Brady Foley came on and got three strikeouts while allowing just one run to earn his first save of the season.

Junior Reed Allen allowed only one hit in 2.1 innings ot relief to earn the win and improve to 1-0 on the season.

The Polar Bears will return to action Wednesday with a key Ohio Athletic Conference mathcup with Otterbein at 1 pm at Wander Field.