The Anderson University baseball team upset Heidelberg University and Baldwin Wallace University with wins on Saturday in Berea, Ohio.
Heidelberg (1-1) is ranked No. 5 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) preseason poll while Baldwin Wallace is receiving votes in the national preseason poll. Anderson (3-2) opened the day by taking down Baldwin Wallace with an 8-1 win. The Ravens then knocked off Heidelberg in a walk-off 4-3 victory.
ANDERSON 8, (RV) BALDWIN WALLACE 1
Grant Thompson went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Branton Sanders provided a double and a triple, while going 3-for-5. Thomas Parker went 3-for-6 with two RBIs. Nick Jones finished 2-for-5 with a double and a two-run single. Joe Moran rounded out Anderson's 14 hits with an RBI single.
Dudley Taw went 2-for-4 with two doubles for the Yellow Jackets. Alex Ludwick produced a run-scoring double. Bijan Kamalipour added a double and Tony LoParo rounded out Baldwin Wallace's five hits with a single.
Moran (1-0) recorded a win for the Ravens. He struck out 10 batters, issued two walks and allowed one run on four hits in six innings. Kasey Henderson picked up his first save of the season. He punched out two batters, yielded one walk and gave up zero runs on one hit in three innings.
Michael Hubert (0-1) suffered the loss for Baldwin Wallace. He struck out two batters, allowed a walk and surrendered four runs on eight hits in four innings. Spencer Auckman got the start for the Yellow Jackets. He fanned seven batters, yielded three walks and conceded zero runs on two hits in four innings. Clay Anderson gave up a walk and scattered four runs on four hits in two-thirds of an inning. Scott Kirchoff struck out the only batter he faced.
Ludwick put the Yellow Jackets on the board by doubling in a run in the bottom of the third inning.
Moran and Thompson both connected on singles in the fifth to give Anderson a 2-1 lead.
During the eighth, Jones smacked an RBI double and Thomas Parker singled in a run to extend Anderson's lead to 4-1.
The Ravens plated four runs in the ninth. Thompson ripped an RBI double, Jones belted a two-run single and Thomas Parker provided a run-scoring single.
ANDERSON 4, NO. 5 HEIDELBERG 3
Moran went 3-for-3 with two doubles for the Ravens. Thomas Parker finished 3-for-5 with a double. Nick Jones went 2-for-4 with two doubles. Justin Reed drove in three runs. M.J. Furnish contributed a double. Jonathan Willoughby and Reed rounded out Anderson's 11 hits with singles.
Mark Ochoa delivered a solo home run from Heidelberg, going 2-for-4 at the plate. Eric DeVore also added a double. The Student Princes finished with seven hits.
Jackson Bland (1-0) earned the win for the Ravens after throwing a perfect ninth inning. Kennedy Parker got the start for Anderson. He punched out nine batters, yielded a walk and allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits in six innings. Andrew Rolfsen struck out a batter, conceded two walks and gave up one run on one hit in two innings.
Mason Metz (0-1) was hit with the loss. He struck out two batters, gave up zero walks and yielded one run on two hits in one and two-thirds innings. Ross Thompson received the start for the Student Princes. He fanned 12 batters, issued a walk and scattered two runs on five hits in five innings. Brady Knizner fanned two batters, allowed zero walks and yielded one run on four hits in two innings.
Kyle Jenkins scored for Heidelberg in the top of the first after Ochoa reached on an error.
Reed ripped a two-run single in the bottom half of the inning to give Anderson a 2-1 lead.
In the top of the sixth, Tyler Smith provided an RBI bunt single to tie the game.
Reed responded in the bottom half of the inning by knocking in Moran on a sacrifice fly.
Ochoa smashed a homer in the eighth to tie the game at 3-all.
In the bottom of the ninth, Jones led off with a double. M.J. Furnish moved Jones to third on a sacrifice bunt. Jones was then thrown out at home as Grahm Reedy reached on a fielder's a choice. Reedy advanced to third as Thomas Parker cracked a single. Thomas Parker then stolen base. Metz threw a wild pitch and Reedy plated a run for the walk-off victory.
UP NEXT
Anderson is scheduled for three games at Grand Park in Westfield next week. The Ravens battle Benedictine University (0-0) on Friday at 4 p.m. Anderson then takes on the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (0-0) on Saturday at 11 a.m. The Ravens then clash with No. 17 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (2-1) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.