The Tiffin University baseball team battled the Lake Erie Storm and Mother Nature on Saturday, falling 2-0 in game three, but rallying for a 4-3 win in game four.

Game Three

Senior Mike Cooperider took the hill for the Dragons, and was the unlucky recipient of an error in the 2nd inning, which resulted in two Storm runs. After the tough second frame, Cooperider was dominant, going the distance while punching out five.

The Tiffin offense didn't have much luck throughout game three, collecting only two hits, one in the 1st inning and a hit in the 7th. The hit in the 7th was the only real threat the Dragons put together. Nick Hueneburg singled, but was retired 6-4 on a fielder's choice. With Alex Hartley aboard, the Storm retired the next two batters to take a 2-1 series lead.

Mike Cooperider was the unfortunate loser on the mound, scattering four hits. 

Game Four

After a crystal clear sky for the vast majority of game three, game four saw storm clouds on the horizon.

With rain on the brain of both sides, TU went to work in the bottom of the 1st. With the bases loaded, Elijah Sanabria slapped a dying quail to right field, scoring Alec McCurry, but Kyle Durham was gunned down at 2nd base, putting runners at 1st and 3rd. Isaac Perry delivered a run scoring single to left field to give the Dragons a 2-0 lead.

Lake Erie cut the Dragon lead in half, using a single and double to trail 2-1 after four innings. In the 5th, the Storm took a risk and were rewarded with a run. Lake Erie pulled off the squeeze play with two out, as the Storm batter dove headlong into first base to beat the tag of Alec McCurry.

In the bottom of the 5th, back to back singles by Alec McCurry and Kurt Barbeau put the Dragons on the prowl. Then old reliable stepped to the dish, in the form of Nick Hueneburg. Nick, having been the hero on Friday, smacked a laser of a line drive just short of clearing the left field wall, scoring Alec McCurry to give Tiffin a 3-2 lead. 

In the 8th inning, the Storm thundered for another run, crossing the plate on a close play at the plate to tie the score at 3-3. With the rain severely saturating the field, TU needed a run to send the Dragon faithful home happy. Devin Ambrose slapped a two strike single through the left side of the infield to start the 9th. Garrett Vernau moved the runner 90 feet closer with a sacrifice bunt. Alec McCurry kept the line moving with a ground out to push pinch runner Andrew Hohman one base away from a win. After swinging at the first two offerings of the at bat, Kurt Barbeau stared through the falling rain and fisted a single into left field for a walk-off win, 4-3.

Patrick Bellinger earned the win in relief, tossing an inning. Senior Tyler Nichols fought through six innings of work, allowing six hits and two runs, while striking out two. At the plate, Alec McCurry and Kurt Barbeau both collected a pair of hits, and Nick Hueneburg finished 2 for 3 with a run scored and a run batted in.

The series split pushes TU to 17-27 overall and 8-18 in GLIAC play.