The Ohio Northern baseball team opened its 2019 season with a 10-1 win over Illinois College on Sunday afternoon at Osceola Heritage Park Field 2 as part of the Russ Matt Tournament.
The Polar Bears (1-0) scored three runs in the third and four more in the fourth to take a 7-1 lead and cruised to the win.
The Blueboys fall to 0-1.
Sophomore Michael Rocco (Orlando, Fla./Zionsville) went 3-for-4 with a RBI and two runs scored to lead a 13-hit ONU offensive performance.
Sophomore Krue Thwaits (Greenville/Milton Union) doubled home junior Jake Gherardi (Youngstown/Austintown-Fitch) in the fifth to put ONU ahead 8-1.
Junior Jack Schaller (Bowling Green) allowed only one hit and one unearned run in 5.0 innings of work to earn the win on the mound and improve to 1-0 on the season.
Junior Troy Wagner (Liberty Township/Lakota West) threw three shutout innings of relief to earn his first career save.
The Polar Bears will return to action in the Russ Matt Invitational on Monday with a double header against Coe (Iowa) at 2 pm.
