Game One
In most cases, baseball is a strange game when it comes to momentum, game one was no exception. With a pair of aces on the mound, most figured the game would be a low scoring affair, but Heminger Field became a launching pad due to sustained winds around 25 mph.
Luke Fraley plowed through the Northwood lineup in the first two innings, allowing a pair of singles. On the other side, Northwood sent Tyler Jandron to the mound with a spotless 4-0 record. Jandron surrendered a hit in the 1st inning, and then melted down in the 2nd.
The Dragons scored five runs in the 2nd, using five hits and two walks to do so. Kyle Durham started the frame with a walk, and moseyed home on Ryan Thomas' drive to deep left field that cleared the wall to make it 2-0. Back to back singles by Devon Fisk and Kyle Lento put runners on the corners. Mitch Anderson singled to center field to score Fisk, and Lento came home on Isaac Perry's single to right field. Anderson raced home for the final run of the inning on a wild pitch to give Tiffin a 5-0 lead.
Things got weird after that, as Northwood then plated seven runs the next half inning to steal of the Dragons' lead and momentum, and jumped ahead 7-5. Jandron settled down for the Timberwolves, blanking the Dragons in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings. Northwood added another run in the 5th to push their lead to 8-5.
In the 6th inning, Jay Smith walked with one out. Alec McCurry reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a errant throw, pushing Smith to third base. Kyle Durham made Northwood pay for the error, lining a single back up the middle to score both runners and pull Tiffin within a run at 8-7.
Northwood's bullpen took care of business in the 7th, retiring the Dragons in order to preserve a 8-7 win.
Luke Fraley took the loss, tossing 2 2/3 innings. The combination of Chad Phenis and Deylen Miley combined to throw 4 1/3 innings in relief, allowing only one run. On the offensive end, Alec McCurry finished with two hits and a run scored, and Devon Fisk collected a pair of hits.
Game Two
Northwood stayed on the gas pedal in the nightcap, scoring two unearned runs in the opening inning. A pair of solo blasts in the 3rd pushed Northwood ahead 4-0, and two more runs in the 4th made it 6-0.
The Tiffin offense was held hitless until the 4th inning, when Isaac Perry lined a double to the center field wall. In the 5th inning, Tiffin saw their best offensive threat fly by the wayside, as they stranded the bases loaded.
The Timberwolves continued their trend of posting a pair of runs on the board in the 6th inning, making it an 8-0 game. A two run home run in the top of the 9th made it a 10-0 game, as the Tiffin offense was thwarted by the outstanding starting pitching of Northwood.
Max Dakin took the loss on the mound, sticking around for 2 1/3 innings, surrendering three hits, four runs, two earned, walked three, and struck out five.
Tiffin is now 10-10 overall and 4-2 in GLIAC play. The series will continue tomorrow afternoon with game one starting at 12:00 pm.