With today's split, Foresters take Bethel series 3-1

MISHAWAKA, Ind. – The Forester baseball team finished their series against Bethel (13-15, 6-10) with a split Friday afternoon at Jenkins Stadium. The Pilots took game one 6-2 before Huntington avenged the loss with a lopsided 12-2 decision.

While HU was able to put a bat on the ball in the opener, it didn't translate into runs on the board. Frame and crew pounded out 13 hits to Bethel's ten but just couldn't string enough together consistently to the tune of 14 baserunners left stranded over the course of the nine-inning affair.

The Pilots jetted out to a 4-0 advantage before the Foresters finally crossed the plate on a Matt Wolff RBI-single in the fifth. Noah Comstock cut HU's deficit in half in the sixth on a run-scoring single. While it proved the end of the guests' scoring, Bethel got both runs back in their home half of the frame to push the lead back to four at 6-2.

After playing flawless ball in yesterday's twin bill, Huntington committed four blunders in the game. While it didn't affect Bethel's six earned runs, it was a source of frustration for a Frame crew that averages an error a game.

Noah Arbuckle took the loss for HU having pitched the first 7.1 innings. He gave up ten hits, six runs and four walks while striking out six.

The Foresters turned things around in the nightcap to run away with the double-digit win. Jarret Gray got his team off to a great start by sending one over the fence for a two-run dinger in the second. Wolff followed up in the third with his first of two sacrifice flies before the Pilots finally got on the board in the bottom of the frame.

HU went off in the fourth to blow the game wide open. After a Comstock base on balls and Satchell Wilson single, Langston Ginder cleared the bases by cranking one out of the park. A few batters later with bases loaded, Jordan Malott delivered a shot into right field that drove in two more runs after which Max Moser posted a sac fly. It made for a 9-1 difference.

The guests spent the rest of the contest outscoring their hosts 3-1 compliments of Wolff's second sac fly and back-to-back Pilot errors.

McCutcheon finished with three of Huntington's 11 hits. Gray added two base pokes and two RBI while Sebastian Kuhns also pounded out a pair of hits.

Graham Kollen continued his winning ways on the bump. He went the distance for the complete-game win having surrendered six hits, two runs and four walks while striking out seven.

The Foresters (19-8, 13-3) have a critical matchup this coming week against #RV Taylor. The Trojans are currently one game ahead of HU in the CL standings. The two teams will battle it out Thursday and again on Saturday.

The Huntington University Foresters compete in 17 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 125 NAIA All-America honors and 449 All-America Scholar Athlete honors. Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. U.S. News & World Reportranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest.