NEWS

By Brandon Schwartzberg

The Aces and the Cropdusters were stuck even in a three-all tie through three innings in a battle between division leaders.

Then, Matt Ossenfort (Vanderbilt) happened.

Alexandria’s first baseman slugged a home run into straight-away center field to put the Aces on top by one in the top of the fourth. They never relinquished the lead.

“It starts with having good at bats and all the guys communicating with each other,” Ossenfort said. “We all give each other a mini scouting report on each pitcher and I think that really helps us with a game plan going into our at bats.”

The Aces (15-2) secured a road victory in Olney on Thursday, dropping the Cropdusters (13-6), 7-4. Alexandria continued its torrid start to the season, winning its eighth consecutive contest.

Ossenfort’s blast was his third in four games as he’s been on fire over the past week. The lefty bat has improved his slugging percentage from .314 to .500 in that span.

“Early on, I just had some trouble with my timing and now I just went straight to a no-stride, two-strike approach,” Ossenfort said. “Just keeping that foot down and seeing the ball deeper. It’s been working pretty well, I’ve been squaring up a couple baseballs.”

Head Coach Chris Berset’s offense clinched its fourth-straight outing of at least seven runs in the victory, getting contributions beyond just Ossenfort in the process as eight of the nine batters reached base.

Catcher Tim Nicholson (George Washington) continued his work as an on-base machine. Alexandria’s leadoff hitter finished 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and a walk, improving his OBP to an outstanding .457. Nicholson played a role in both of the Aces’ multi-run frames against the Cropdusters.

Gavin Miller (Auburn) got Alexandria’s offense going with a bases loaded walk in the top of the third. The third baseman later brought home another run in the top of the fifth to improve his hitting streak to 10 games. Miller has arguably been Berset’s most consistent hitter, keeping his batting average above .300, his slugging percentage above .385, his on-base percentage above .415 and his OPS above .953 all-season long.

Designated hitter Jonah Oster (Campbell) joined Miller with a two-RBI afternoon on a two-run single up the middle to cap off the Aces’ scoring in the top of the third. The 6-foot-2 righty bat finished the day with his third three-hit game of the campaign to push his batting average over .300 for the first time this season.

While Alexandria’s offense shined through the third and sixth innings — scoring all seven of its runs — its pitching kept the Cropdusters in check over that span. 

Anthony Ehly (Seton Hall) received the start for the Aces and allowed a pair of runs over his first two innings but settled in after that, surrendering just one over his final two frames to exit his outing with a 4-3 lead.

Cameron Keshock (Auburn) entered in relief of Ehly and was excellent over four innings of work. Keshock was charged for just one run against the Cropdusters, lowering his season earned run average to an even three.

Michael Gillen (Seton Hall) then fired a scoreless ninth to secure the victory and notch his third save of the campaign.

“They all did great on the mound executing and I think that’s why we were able to keep them shut down,” Ossenfort said.

Both clubs return to the field tomorrow. The Cropdusters host the Giants, while the Aces remain on the road to face the Thunderbolts.