Baseball Opens Four-Game Series with Two Wins

Baseball opened their four-game series with Jamestown on Friday afternoon in Crete, posting a pair of wins on the day. The Tigers took the opener, 12-0, and won a nail biter in the final game of the day, 2-1.

The scoring started for Doane in the bottom of the first inning on Joe Osborn's sixth home run of the season for a 1-0 lead. In the fourth, the Tigers plated five runs to break the game open. The big hit was a Nate Mensik three-run triple.

Doane added six runs in the sixth inning. The Tigers received RBI-singles from Ben Grigsby, Logan Amick, and Taiyo Takahashi, as well as an RBI-double from Osborn in the inning.

Aaron Forrest (6-0) threw 6.0 scoreless innings for the Tigers, scattering three hits and two walks while striking out eight. Zach Schuchardt threw the final inning, allowing one hit.

Offensively, Doane had 11 hits in the game with Osborn going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Takahashi and Grigsby had two hits apiece. Justin Nevells and Mensik joined Osborn in leading the team with two runs scored apiece and Mensik had a team-high four RBI.

In game two, the pitchers took center stage as Jamestown's Cade Torgerson took on Kaden Crawford. Scoring was limited to essentially one inning as Doane scored their two runs in the bottom of the third and the Jimmies picked up their lone run in the next half inning in the top of the fourth.

Dionysius Chialtas drove in Nevells with a double with one out in the third inning. Logan Amick followed with an RBI-single to plate courtesy runner Carson Baker. 

Jamestown countered with an RBI-double in the fourth to pull within a run. Chialtas came up with two big defensive plays after the Jimmies pulled within a run, first by throwing a runner out at third base trying to advance on a pitch in the dirt. He then threw out a base runner attempting to steal second base to end the fourth inning.

In the fifth inning, Jamestown opened with a base hit and with one out Nevells made a diving defensive pick at third base on a two-hopper to take away a hit as he threw the batter out at first base.

Crawford finished with 6.0 innings of work before Ethan Merk relieved him to open the seventh inning. Merk hit the first batter he faced but followed by retiring the next nine batters to close out the game.

For the game, Crawford (3-1) allowed one run on six hits and two walks while striking out five. Merk threw 3.0 hitless innings and struck out three batters to pick up his second save of the year.

The Tiger offense was held to five hits in the game, two apiece from Nevells and Chialtas.

Doane and Jamestown will conclude their four-game series on Saturday in Crete with first pitch at noon.