Mason Bright, left, of North Union applies a tag to a Northwestern runner attempting to steal second base. The Wildcats won the game 10-2. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
The North Union baseball team picked up another game in the win column Monday after a 10-2 victory over Central Buckeye Conference opponent Northwestern.
Evan Hoffer took the rubber for the Wildcats.
He had a rocky start, walking three of the first four batters he faced.
That led to the Warriors’ first run.
Hoffer was able to strike out the last two batters in the opening inning to get out of the early jam.
North Union answered with the sticks ,collecting three hits and a pair of RBIs to take a 2-1 lead.
Those runs were driven in on a single by Trevyn Feasel and sacrifice fly from Landon Converse.
NU coach Klarke Ransome said it was the answer needed to set the tone for the rest of the game.
“There are going to be things that don’t go our way,” he said. “We came in and responded in the right way.
“It is something we have talked about… just responding, especially with this younger group.”
Hoffer stayed hot on the mound, fanning three of the five Warriors he faced in the second.
He worked Northwestern into a pair of ground outs and a “K” in the third inning to keep the score locked at 2-1.
Ransome said the early offense gave his pitcher the confidence needed to keep the Warriors’ bat at bay.
“Give Hoffer credit,” said Ransome. “In the first inning he had three walks, stuck out the last two batters and ended up with only five walks for the rest of the game.
“It helps when we have each other’s backs,” he said. “When we put up runs, it gives our pitchers confidence to go back out and pump some strikes to find a groove.”
North Union also found its groove inside the batter’s box in the third and fourth inning .
NU tallied six runs to take a 8-1 lead, thanks to what Ransome calls “doing the little things right.
“We really have focused on having an approach at the plate,” he said. “It’s knowing the count, the situation and what is happening before the pitch.
“I think the guys today did really well.”
Hoffer picked up his 10th strikeout in his final inning of work,
In the meantime, NU stretched its lead to 9-1.
Southpaw Chris Isler came on in relief in the sixth.
He received defensive support to keep the Warriors in check.
Ransome made some infield adjustments with the new pitcher.
The coach said having a lot of players who can multiple positions helps fill holes.
“Guys have played positions that they haven’t played before. . . and we’ve got a bunch of guys who can play multiple positions,” he said.
The Wildcats tallied run No. 10 in the bottom half of the inning, thanks to an RBI from Aaron Krebehenne.
Isler gave up a run in the top of seventh, but NU’s offense kept the game out of reach for Northwestern.
North Union is now 3-8 for the season and is scheduled to return to action Wednesday at Northwestern.
NW 100 000 1 2 1 3
NU 202 411 x 10 13 3
WP-Hoffer
LP-Mansfield
NU’s Trevyn Feasel slides into third during Monday’s win over Northwestern. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)