CEDARVILLE, Ohio – The Urbana University baseball team stranded the tying runs in the ninth inning of a 9-7 setback to Cedarville University in non-league action.
UU dropped to 7-22 overall on the season as Cedarville improved to 11-19 and evened the season series between the two teams.
Three Blue Knights logged three hits at the plate, led by Chase Carney who went 3 for 4 with two triples, a walk and two RBI. The junior center fielder now carries a team-high .343 average with 10 multi-hit games.
The Blue Knights outhit the Yellow Jackets 11-10 as Carney registered the only extra-base hits of the day.
Senior Mickey Losey and freshman Briley Harlan of Triad High School each posted three base knocks while junior Robbie Guerrero III delivered three RBI. Guerrero has now reached base in 11 straight games with a seven-game hitting streak. He leads UU with a career-high 28 RBI on the season.
Momentum swung both ways early as UU jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, and then CU responded with eight runs. Chase Carney’s first of two triples scored the first run, which was followed by a sacrifice fly from Robbie Guerrero III. However, the host Yellow Jackets took advantage of four walks, four hits and a pair of hit batters to claim an 8-2 advantage.
The UU bullpen backed starter Tyler Bess in the rough outing, surrendering one run the rest of the way to help the Blue Knights chip away at the deficit. Sophomore Ryan Townsend stopped the bleeding with 3.1 innings of work. He was followed by graduate student Jackson Everman, who tossed three shutout innings, and then Guerrero threw a perfect eighth.
UU scored one in the second and then Guerrero’s two-run single in the fifth made it 9-5. Mickey Losey drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh and then Carney produced another RBI triple in the eighth which trimmed the deficit to two, 9-7.
In the ninth, Tyler Dellerman drew a leadoff walk, and after a Losey single, both runners advanced on a wild pitch to put the tying run in scoring position with no outs. However, CU closer Noah Schleinitz regrouped and struck out the next three batters.
UU travels to West Liberty this weekend for a four-game series against the Hilltoppers.
