The Blue Streaks lost sole possession of first place in the OAC after getting swept by Ohio Northern University in their first two games of the year at Schweickert Field. It was also the first time all season that JCU had dropped two games in the same day.

The losses drop the Blue Streaks' record to 19-9, but more importantly to 7-3 in the conference, which leaves them in third place after the weekend.  

Game One:
The Blue Streaks opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with Derek Penman scoring on a wild pitch, but the Polar Bears would equal the score at 1-1 in the next half frame, with Tyler Randick singling to score Phil Buckingham.

Freshman Mitch Midea, who started on short rest, would calm down from there, and hold Ohio Northern to five hits through six full innings of work. The score would stay at 1-1 until the seventh, as both Midea and opposing starter Jack Schaller were posting numerous scoreless frames.

Unfortunately Midea's tremendous outing was squandered as the Polar Bears would tag reliever Johnny Merrill for four runs in the seventh inning to build a 5-1 lead.

The Blue Streaks answered back for a run in the bottom of the seventh, with Sam Heaton singling to score Joe Charpentier. But that would be as close as JCU would get. The Polar Bears would tack on an insurance run in the top of the ninth to make the score 6-2, and would eventually close out the contest to take game one of the twinbill series.

Schaller collected another win to raise his record to 4-1, holding the one, two and three batters for John Carroll to an 0-16 showing.

David Ferguson went 3-4 from the plate for the Blue Streaks in the loss.


Game Two:
The offensive woes seen by John Carroll in the first game continued to present themselves in the second edition of the matchup between the Blue Streaks and the Polar Bears.

Ohio Northern's Nate Bye threw five consecutive scoreless innings to begin his outing, striking out five batters in the process. He would immediately get run support in the first inning, his team scoring a run off a fielding error by the Blue Streaks.

Andrew Steele, after giving up the run in the top of the first, would calm down and match Bye stride for stride, the score staying 1-0 until an Aaron Zawadzki sac fly that scored Derek Penman to make the score 1-1. Steele finished his day with 6.0 IP, striking out three in the no-decision.

In the top of the seventh with the score still 1-1, the Blue Streaks replaced Steele for freshman reliever Henry Haracz. The Polar Bears capitalized on the pitching change by loading the bases before Phil Buckingham stepped into the box and ripped a two-run single to increase the ONU lead to 3-1.

After Bye shoved across another scoreless inning, Cameron Mayle would stabilize matters for the Blue Streaks in the next frame and post a scoreless inning as he continues to return from an injury that kept him sidelined for much of the early-goings of the season.

He would be replaced in the next frame by sophomore Kasey Anzelc, who would not be so fortunate. ONU put up three big insurance runs to ice the contest.

The Blue Streaks get the chance to forget their day's losses when they travel to Alliance, Ohio to rebound against Mount Union University on Tuesday afternoon. The Purple Raiders come into the contest with a 16-10 overall record, and will look to improve upon their 3-6 conference record that has them in the seventh place position after five series played. First pitches are set for 1 and 4 p.m.