ADRIAN, Mich. – It was a day of redemption on the third day on the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament held on the campus of Siena Heights Wednesday. Davenport held on to a 3-2 win over Northwestern Ohio to knock out top-seeded team, but a couple of mistakes in the ninth inning allowed Indiana Tech to walkoff with a 1-0 victory over the Panthers in an elimination game for the Warriors.
 
Davenport and Indiana Tech meet one final time to determine the tournament champion Thursday at noon.
 
The Panthers (47-9) got revenge on Northwestern Ohio (43-13) after the Racers took 3-of-4 at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex in a battle for the top spot in the league almost three weeks ago. Indiana Tech (32-26), meanwhile, ended the Panthers six-game win streak in the WHAC Tournament which included two wins over the Warriors last year. Davenport claim the title on a walkoff against the host Warriors.
 
Game 1 – Davenport 3, Northwestern Ohio 2
It was a pitching duel between Corey Murphy and Ryan Carter early in the game. Murphy carried the Panthers into the eighth inning allowing two runs, one unearned, on five hits and a defensive miscue. Ryan though lasted only 4 2/3 on the mound conceding five hits and two walks.
 
The Panthers would score all the three runs in the fifth. Brandon Cable open the inning with a single, advanced to second on Connor Seymour's sacrifice bunt and scored on Cody Greear's double to left center. After Brendan Bender drew a two-out walk, Matt Priebe reached on a fielding error by the shortstop which set up a two-run single by Zack Sardellitti and give the Panthers a 3-0 lead.
 
Northwestern Ohio was slowly crawling its way back into the game scoring a run on a leadoff double and a one-out single in the sixth followed by an unearned run in the eighth which had a failed pickoff attempt.
 
Jonathan Cheshire would retire the side in order in the ninth to eliminate the Racers.
 
Game 2 – Indiana Tech 1, Davenport 0
It was all pitching and defense between the Panthers and Warriors. The Warriors would had three opportunities to get on the board and do serious damage with the bases loaded but the Panthers got out of it with excellent choices defensively. Indiana Tech would strand 14 runners on base.
 
The Panthers closest chance to get on the board was in the ninth inning when Jordan Zylstra hit a two-out triple to right center but a strikeout on the next at-bat ended the inning.
 
Indiana Tech opened its half of the inning with a leadoff single and a balk and a throwing error to second for a force play bounced by Seymour which enabled the Warriors to walk off with the win.
 
Starter Jerry Ferris lasted only 3 2/3 on the mound, allowing three hits and five walks. Corey Sessions threw 2 2/3 solid innings of relief before turning it over to Ryan Butzer, who was also solid in his 1 2/3 outing. Cheshire suffered the loss after allowing the walkoff in the ninth.
 
Baseball Contact: Rick Hoskin | 616-871-6180 | rhoskin@davenport.edu
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