The Ashland University baseball team jumped out to an 8-1 lead through four innings and rolled to a 13-5 win over visiting Wheeling Jesuit on Tuesday (March 26) afternoon at Donges Field.
The Eagles (19-3), ranked No. 17 in the latest NCBWA Division II poll, have won 10 in a row and have matched the 2006 team with the best 22-game start in school history. The 10-game winning streak is the longest since the 2015 season.
The Cardinals (4-17) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, but the Eagles responded with three in the bottom half and the lead was never threatened again. Sophomore Logan Moss and senior Alex Niecikowski each drove in runs in the inning.
The Eagles added four more in the third inning, including two on Moss' double and singles runs on singles by sophomores Zach Franz and Austin Eifrid. A sac fly by sophomore Micah Allen in the fourth gave Ashland an 8-1 lead.
Meanwhile, sophomore Max Frederick was solid in his first start of the season as he struck out eight and gave up just one run in four innings.
Junior left-hander Josh Smith tossed two shutout innings to earn the win in relief.
Moss drove in another run with a bases-loaded walk as part of a three-run sixth inning. Niecikowski also had a sac fly in the inning. That duo also had RBIs in the eighth inning as the Eagles closed the book on their scoring.
The Cardinals scored two runs in each of the eighth and ninth innings to provide the final margin.
Frankie Favede (0-4) suffered the defeat for Wheeling Jesuit, giving up eight runs (four earned) on eight hits in four innings.
Moss was 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and five RBI, while Niecikowski was 2-for-2 with three RBI. Junior Jason Swope and Franz also had two hits apiece.
Ashland out-hit the Cardinals, 11-4.
The Eagles will return to Donges Field start a four-game series with Davenport on Friday (March 29) at 3 p.m.
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