Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader At Tiffin

TIFFIN, OHIO – The Northwood University baseball team picked up a doubleheader sweep over Tiffin Saturday afternoon (May 2). NU earned a 10-8 win in game one before claiming a 9-7 victory in game two.

The wins clinch a spot in the GLIAC Tournament for Northwood, marking the second time in program history the Timberwolves have reached the event (2009).

Northwood is now 27-20 overall, 19-11 in the GLIAC. The 19 GLIAC wins in a season is a new school record, breaking the old mark of 18 from 2009. Tiffin falls to 18-30, 11-19 in the GLIAC.

With one day left in the regular season, Northwood still has a chance at a share of the GLIAC Championship. The Timberwolves need to sweep Tiffin tomorrow, have Wayne State sweep Ashland and have Malone win at least one game against Grand Valley State. That scenario would have Ashland, Northwood and Grand Valley State all finish with a 21-11 GLIAC record.

On a warm day in Ohio, both teams offenses took advantage of the conditions. In game one, Northwood scored in every inning except the fifth. NU had one in the first, two in the second, one in the third and three in the fourth to go up 7-4. Tiffin stayed right with Northwood, scoring two in the second, two in the third and four in the fourth to open up an 8-7 lead. But the Timberwolves closed the game strong, scoring two in the sixth and one in the seventh while holding the Dragons off the board in the final three innings.

Tiffin out-hit Northwood 13-7 in the game but NU's ability to draw walks once again proved key. NU had eight free passes in the game, compared to just two for Tiffin. Neither team defended in the game well – Tiffin had four errors while Northwood had three. That led to eight unearned runs in the game.

Seven different Timberwolves each had one hit for Northwood in the game, the biggest of which belonged to Daniel Pulver (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.). His two-run homer in the sixth put Northwood back on top for good in the late innings. Dustin Lee (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.) added a hit, a run and two RBIs. Dylan Trimarchi (Pasadena, Calif./Glendale CC) had a hit, a run, an RBI and four walks in the game. Shawn Larner (Gladwin, Mich./Alma College) came out of the bullpen and pitched well for the Timberwolves to earn the win. He allowed no runs while striking out four in 2 2/3 innings of work. Larry Wood (Essexville, Mich./Garber) got the final three outs to pick up his second save of the season.

Game two saw Northwood get off to a fast start, scoring three in the first and four in the second to go up 7-0. But Tiffin fought back to tie the game, plating three in the third, three in the fifth and one in the sixth. NU once again finish the contest strong, scoring one in the seventh and one in the eighth. NU's bullpen stepped up again as well, keeping Tiffin off the board over the final three innings.

Both teams finished game two with 13 hits and five walks. NU earned the win thanks to their extra base power, as the Timberwolves had four doubles and a home run compared to just one double for the Dragons.

Zyke Bailey (Taylor, Mich./HS Truman) went 2-2 with a home run, two runs scored, three RBIs and three walks in the game. Pulver added three hits, a walk and an RBI, while Eric Cotton (Troy, Mich./Jackson CC) came off the bench to get a pair of doubles, a run and an RBI. Travis Smith (Clare, Mich.) also added two hits and two RBIs.

Sean Cunningham (Ada, Mich./Forest Hills Northern) picked up his third win of the season out of the pen for the Timberwolves. He allowed one run over the final four innings on four hits.

Northwood and Tiffin will finish their weekend series with a doubleheader Sunday (May 3). First pitch is set for Noon.