The Golden Eagles baseball team finished the season by winning four of their last six games, including a twin bill sweep of Lorain County CC on Saturday afternoon played at Conotton Valley High School. The navy and gold took care of business by scores of 7-4 and 12-2.
The scored was tied 4-4 after four innings in the opener, until KSU Tusc tallied three runs in the home half of the sixth inning. After singles by Andrew Powell and Caleb Salgado, Josh Leonard walked on four straight pitches to load the bases. Steve Michniak worked the Commodores pitcher to a 3-2 count and lined a single to right field, as all three runners crossed the plate when the right fielder misplayed the ball to provide the winning margin.
Powell and Kyle Shockley collected two hits each for the winners and the latter stole two bases. Scottie Sauernheimer knocked in a pair of runs before leaving the game with a finger injury that occurred on a head first slide into third base.
In the finale, the Eagles pounded out 17 hits---seven for extra bases---in a six-inning, 12-2 victory over LCCC.
Braydon Maine led the way with a two-run homerun and a grand slam, knocking in all six runs as KSU Tusc surged to an early 6-0 lead after the first two innings. His first inning homer cleared the wall in left-center field, while his second inning slam traveling well over the wall in center field.
LCCC scored their only runs in the top of the fourth inning, but the Eagles answered on a double by Powell who then scored on a single to right by Salgado to make the score 8-2.
With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Powell and Leonard singled to put two Eagles aboard. Salgado doubled to center to score Powell followed by a two-bagger from Michniak to score a second run as Leonard was out advancing the third.
A walk and a hit by pitch loaded the bases once again for Shockley who hit a game winning line drive single into right field to score two more Golden Eagles runs and enforce the 10-run rule in a 12-2 KSU Tusc victory.
Shockley and Salgado (two doubles) each had three hits and two RBIs for the Eagles, while Maine, Powell, Leonard and Brogan Burcher had two-hit games. The Eagles ended the season with a record of 9-19.
Josh Leonard scores an Eagles run as the LCCC catcher fields a high throw home at the plate.
Steve Michniak rests at third base after singling in three runs in the bottom of the sixth to win the first game against LCCC.
Braydon Maine rounds third after hitting a two-run homer---his first long ball since the age of 13.
(Photos by Rob Brindley)