Saline Takes 2 From Adrian

Saline’s varsity baseball team continued its impressive early season play, sweeping a doubleheader from Adrian at home Monday.

Saline won the opener, 15-5, and the nightcap, 12-2. Both games were shortened by the 10-run mercy rule.

The wins gave Saline a record of 10-3. The first game of the doubleheader counts in the SEC, giving Saline a 3-0 SEC record.

The opener was tied at 5 when Saline put the Maples away with four runs in the bottom of the fourth and six more in the bottom of the fifth.

Michael Hendrickson gave up four runs on five hits and two walks in 3 2/3 innings.  He struck out six. Eric Berki pitched 1 2/3 innings of relief and earned the victory. He struck out one and gave up two hits.

Saline’s offense pounded out 11 hits and took advantage of five Adrian errors.

Adrian took a 2-0 lead in the first on three hits. Saline answered with five runs in the first. Gage Hammond walked. Andrew White singled. Justin Goike reached on an error to load the bases. Austin Hauck drove in Saline’s first run with a sac fly to center. Justin Barnes loaded the bases with a single. Trent Theisen was hit by a pitch to score a run. Brent Vaccaro walked to score another run. Patrick Price reached base on an error to score Barnes. Theisen scored to make it 5-2 when Stefan Hastings grounded into a fielder’s choice.

Adrian tied the game at 5 in the fourth inning.

In the bottom of the inning, Hasting walked and Hammond bunted for a single. White reached on a fielder’s choice where everyone was safe. Justin Goike hit a grand slam home run to make it 9-5.

Saline put it away in the bottom of the sixth.

With two outs, Hastings bunted for single and took second on an error. Hammond and White were hit by pitches to load the bases. Goike walked to score a run. Hauck singled in a run. Barnes followed with a two-run single that also brought home Goike on an error. Theisen singled in Barnes.

Saline won the second game in the bottom of the sixth.

Andrew White pitched four innings and earned the victory. He gave up two earned runs on two hits and a walk. He fanned three. Brandon Martin and Stefan Hastings each pitched a perfect inning of relief.

The Hornets scored 12 runs on 11 hits.

Saline again fell behind in the first and stormed back to win by mercy rule. Adrian took a 2-0 lead on a two-run homerun.

In the bottom off the inning, White got things started with a walk. Goike walked. Hauck tripled to score two runs and then scored on AJ Korzuck’s grounder to short. Saline led 3-2.

In the third, Goike, Hauck and Korzuck walked to load the bases. Theisen’s singled scored a run. Hendrickson doubled to right-center to score two more runs. Dan Bennett walked to load the bases. Brandon Gordon singled home Theisen and Hendrickson. White capped the rally with a single to score Bennett for a 9-2 lead.

Saline added two more in the bottom of the fourth.

Korzuck singled with one out. Theisen doubled to put runners at second and third. Matt Soper doubled to right-centerfield to bring in both base runners. Saline led 11-2.

Korzuck walked to lead off the sixth and advanced to second on a single by Brent Vaccaro. Soper singled to load the bases. Bennett hit a sac fly to center for the 12^th run to clinch the mercy-rule victory.

Saline 15, Adrian 5

Saline 12, Adrian 2