Tiffin University baseball (15-22, 7-13 G-MAC) earned a critical split in their four-game series with Ashland on Sunday as the Dragons took game one 9-5 and game two 5-3.
The Dragons erupted for six runs in the third inning in game one to take control. With one out, Luke Westerman walked which started a string of six straight TU batters reaching base safely. The Dragons only had three hits in the inning but took advantage of wildness by the Ashland pitchers as they walked four and hit two. Colin Crisenberry, Ty Hatfield, and Andrew Fairbrother had the hits in the inning.
Ashland took advantage of errors by Cal Brazier and Aidan Grabowski to plate two unearned runs in the fourth inning and Brazier belted a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to give Tiffin a 9-2 lead.
The Eagles took advantage of a two-out error by TU second baseman Hilario DeLaPaz to plate three unearned runs in the fifth to once again respond. Zach Johnson tossed a scoreless 2.0 innings to seal the game.
Scotty Adelman (W, 4-4) got the start and earned the win throwing 4.2 innings and allowed five runs (zero earned) on four hits with four walks and three strikeouts. Johnson threw 2.0 scoreless innings and struck out three.
Hatfield went 3-for-4 at the plate and Brazier had 4 RBI.
Game two started with two sloppy innings but then settled down and resulted in pitchers matching zeros.
Ashland plated two in the first to take the early lead. The Dragons got a huge double play but an error by starter Nick Feasel led to two unearned runs for the Eagles. Dylan Ruhe scored on a two-out RBI single by Fairbrother in the first to make it 2-1.
The Dragons turned another huge double play in the second inning that limited the Eagles to just one run. Westerman scored on a wild pitch in the second to make it 3-2.
After the second, the teams combined to throw 4.5 scoreless innings until the Dragons took the lead in the seventh for good. In the seventh, Ruhe led off with a double and scored on a single by Brazier which made it 3-3. Westerman drew a bases loaded full count walk with two outs and Brazier scored to give TU a 4-3 lead.
Ruhe gave Tiffin an insurance run in the eighth as he smacked his first career home run to the opposite field down the left field line.
The Eagles got the tying run to the plate in their final plate appearance but Johnson induced two ground balls to end it.
Mason Brunecz (W, 1-1) was huge for the Dragons in this one throwing 6.2 scoreless innings of relief to get the win. Brunecz walked two and allowed four hits while striking out four. Trent Hedges got a critical third out in the eighth inning and Johnson threw 0.2 innings in the ninth to record his first save of the season.
Ruhe was 3-for-5 and scored three runs and Logan Swonger drew two walks.
The Dragons' pitching staff allowed eight runs total on the day and only one of those eight were earned.
