Baseball: #30 Purple Raiders Edge Past #26 Ranked W&J in 10-8 Thriller

ALLIANCE, Ohio - The Mount Union baseball team (20-7) won a non-conference thriller against #26 ranked Washington & Jefferson College (21-7) at home on Thursday.

The Purple Raiders have now won 16 of their last 17 games.

Senior right-handed Anthony Warner (Louisville, Ohio / Louisville) earned his fourth win of the season (4-0), pitching a strong 6.1 innings of work with three strikeouts while allowing three runs. Junior left-handed pitcher Angel Mediavilla (Hialeah, FL. / Imater Charter) started on the mound, pitching 1.2 innings with four strikeouts, allowing only one hit and one earned one.

The scoring began early in the game, as Mount Union took the lead in the first inning. Graduate second baseman Andrew Witte (Mentor, Ohio / Mentor) contributed with an RBI sacrifice fly, followed by graduate designated hitter Jaired Lehman (Monroeville, Pa. / Gateway), who hit an RBI double to center field. Lehman had an outstanding performance, going 3-for-5 at the plate with an extra-base hit and an RBI.

W&J took a 4-2 lead in the top of the second, but the Purple Raiders responded to the early adversity, scoring three runs in the bottom of the second. Witte hit an RBI single to second base, and senior shortstop Alex Stegman (Berea, Ohio / Berea-Midpark) hit an RBI single to right field. Stegman had an outstanding day, batting 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs. Junior outfielder Chris Tsouras (Las Vegas, Nev. / Arbor) added to the lead with an RBI single, and the OAC player of the week did not disappoint as he hit 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs, as he leads the team with eight home runs and 35 RBIs.

Once again, Mount Union found themselves in a tight game as Washington & Jefferson took a 7-5 lead in the top of the fourth inning. However, the Purple Raiders did not let this phase them. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Mount Union responded by scoring four runs to take a 9-7 lead. Stegman hit a two-run home run to right-center field. Freshman catcher Daniel Thome III (Lakewood, Ohio / St. Edwards) contributed with an RBI single to right field, and a sophomore outfielder Luke Ickes (Green, Ohio / Green) added an RBI double to left field. Ickes finished the day with a 3-for-5 performance, including an extra-base hit and an RBI.

Mount Union added an insurance run at the bottom of the eighth inning, with a Tsouras no-doubt about a solo home run to deep right field, securing the 10-8 victory.

Mount Union's next game will be at home tomorrow against Wilmington University in a doubleheader, with the first pitch set for 1:00 PM.

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