For just the second time in program history Lourdes baseball team downed a top-25 opponent as the Gray Wolves split a doubleheader at 23^rd-ranked Northwestern Ohio on Wednesday afternoon.  Lourdes dropped the opener 2-0 before rebounding for a 6-3 victory in game two at Racer Field in Lima, Ohio.
 
The win in game two ended Northwestern Ohio's 23-game regular season win streak against Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference foes.
 
The Racers had four pitchers combine for a three-hit shutout in the opener, with Ryan Carter earning the win (3-0), tossing four innings of shutout baseball.  Northwestern Ohio manufactured a run in the opening inning with a double, a sacrifice bunt, and a groundout before Brandon Collins homered in the sixth for an insurance run.
 
Drew Lepiarz (Toledo, Ohio/Start H.S.) suffered the loss (2-2), allowing just two runs and six hits in six innings of work.
 
Lourdes jumped on top quickly in game two, however, taking advantage of three walks and a single by Andy Kefalos (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton H.S.).  Marty Ramirez (Toledo, Ohio/Start H.S.) earned the RBI with a bases loaded free pass to give the Gray Wolves a 1-0 lead.
 
The Gray Wolves took advantage or a Northwestern Ohio error in the second to add to the lead.  Zak Laubscher (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg H.S.) singled threw the left side to score Jonathan Barker (Sylvania, Ohio/Southview H.S.) and Kyle Sherman (Collierville, Tenn./Rossville Christian Academy) scored the second run with a swipe of home as part of a double steal.
 
Barker singled home Tyler Trame (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic H.S.) and Ramirez in the third as Lourdes continued to add on to its lead.  Garret Jex (Bowling Green, Ohio/Bowling Green H.S.) added a bases loaded walk to score Barker, making it 6-0 Lourdes.
 
Northwestern Ohio cut the Gray Wolf lead in half with three runs in the third off of Lourdes starter A.J.  Schraffenberger (Cincinnati, Ohio/Bishop Fenwick H.S.), but that would be the final scoring of the day for the Racers.
 
Schraffenberger departed after 3.2 innings with a no decision, giving up just the three runs and five hits.  Ryan Veres (Toledo, Ohio/Start H.S.) earned the win (1-1) with 1.1 innings of scoreless relief while Sean Koerber (Harper Woods, Mich./Grosse Pointe North H.S.) worked out of bases loaded jam in the seventh to earn his second save of the year.
 
Enrico Ciuffetelli suffered the loss (3-1), walking three of the five batters he faced to start the game while also surrendering a hit and a run.
 
Laubscher and Trame had two hits each as part of Lourdes nine-hit attack in game two.
 
I'm very proud of our team today," head coach Andy Ham said afterwards.  "Drew did a great job in game one but we couldn't get anything going offensively.  In game two we picked up our energy as a team strung together some hits and extended our early lead.  AJ and the bullpen did tremendous job of holding a good hitting team down."
 
Lourdes (6-17, 2-9) will begin a four-game series with Aquinas on Saturday afternoon.  First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Mercy Field.