ASHLAND, Ohio - Senior Jordan Chiero, junior Ryan Locke and junior Kyle Robinson had four hits each as the Tiffin University baseball team (7-12, 2-4 GLIAC) dropped two to Ashland (11-8, 3-2 GLIAC) 15-11, 10-2, Wednesday afternoon at Donges Field.
In game one, Tiffin drew first blood as Locke singled to drive in Chiero in the second inning. Ashland used six hits to score eight runs in the bottom of the second. The Eagles looked in charge with an 11-4 lead after four innings.
In the fifth inning, AU broke down defensively, committing three errors. The Dragons combined that with five hits to score four runs. That cut the gap to three, 11-8. Ashland scored twice in the fifth to lead by five.
TU refused to back down and senior Pat Curtin was hit by a pitch to open the sixth. Chiero then drove the ball down the left field line and over the fence to make it 13-10. That was as close as Tiffin could get.
The Dragons pounded out 18 hits with seven players having at least two. Locke was 4-for-4 and drove in two runs, junior Roger Christensen had three hits and Chiero was 2-for-4, scored two runs and drove in three runs. Junior Eric Klepper (1-2) gave up seven hits, eight runs, all earned, walked one and struck out one in two innings.
For Ashland, John Broil was 4-for-5, scored three runs and drove in five runs while Tyler Gray had two hits, both of which were home runs, scored two runs and drove in three runs. Brad Thomas (4-0) gave up 13 hits, eight runs, five earned and struck out two in 4.1 innings. Zach Botjer (2) gave up three hits and one unearned run in two innings.
In the nightcap, once again big innings hurt TU. The Eagles put up a four spot in the bottom of the third. In the fifth, junior KC Weber singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. Robinson singled to centerfield to score Weber. AU scored six runs over the next two innings to seal the game.
For Tiffin, Chiero and Robinson had two hits each. Senior Jordan Liette (2-2) gave up five hits, seven runs, all of them earned, walked four batters and struck out three in 4.2 innings.
For Ashland, Broil was 2-for-4 with two home runs, scored two runs and drove in six runs. Aaron Hilt (4-2) gave up seven hits, two runs, both of them earned, walked one and struck out two in six innings.
Tiffin opens up the home season, Saturday, March 31 with a doubleheader against Wayne State. The doubleheader is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.
Live Stats will be available at http://dragonweb.tiffin.edu/livestats/xlive.htm
-TIFFIN UNIVERSITY-
