The Ashland University baseball team dropped a 9-5 decision to host Northwood in the four-game series opener on Friday (April 26) afternoon in Midland, Mich.
The loss snapped the Eagles' five-game winning streak. Ashland came into the weekend No. 2 in the Midwest Region rankings while Timberwolves were ranked No. 3.
Ashland (32-8, 12-5 GLIAC) scored three runs in the top of the first inning, but Northwood rallied for six in the next two and the Eagles were not able to overcome that deficit.
The first four Eagles hit safely with junior Carson Mittermaier and sophomore Logan Stoldt delivering RBI hits. Sophomore Micah Allen added a run-scoring groundout to cap Ashland's scoring in the first inning.
The Timberwolves (28-14, 13-8 GLIAC) quickly tied the game in the bottom of the first off AU starter Ryan Curtis. Northwood tacked on three more runs in the second inning, including a solo-homer by Nick Palmer, to take a 6-3 lead.
Allen's RBI double in the third got a run back for Ashland and Mittermaier poked a solo home run in the fourth to cut the deficit to 6-5.
Sophomore right-hander Perry Bewley came on in relief in the third and was magnificent in five innings of work. He struck out 10 and gave up just two hits and a walk to give the Eagles a chance to get back in the game.
The Eagles stranded runners on base in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings and were not able to break through with a game-tying run.
Northwood plated three insurance runs in the eighth inning to put the game away.
Curtis (1-1) was tagged with the loss for the Eagles while Northwood starter Jake Gross picked up the win, allowing five runs in five innings. Lennon Gwizdala tossed two shutout innings to earn his seventh save.
The Timberwolves out-hit the Eagles, 14-11. Four Eagles had multiple hits including Mittermaier, Stoldt, Allen and sophomore Austin Eifrid.
The teams resume the series with a doubleheader Saturday, April 27 at 1 p.m.
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