HOUGHTON, NY—The Houghton Highlanders inched closer to .500 on Wednesday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep of the Medaille Mavericks.  The Highlanders offense combined to score 25 runs over the two games, winning the first game, 11-6, and the second, 14-8.
 
GAME VITALS                           
Game 1 Score: Medaille – 6 | Houghton - 11
Game 2 Score: Medaille – 8 | Houghton – 14
Records: Medaille: 0-2 | Houghton: 5-6
Venue: Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex, Houghton College | Attendance: 85/125
 
Game 1:
Jason Kauffeldt went 3-for-4 with a triple and four stolen bases to lead the Houghton offensive attack, while Ryan Newtown tossed a complete game, striking out six and walking only one to pick up his second win of the year.
 
After Medaille plated two in the top of the first, the Highlanders responded with four in the bottom half, capped by RBI doubles by Ethan Cetton and Isaac Mann.
 
Houghton would tack on two more in the bottom of the second to take a commanding 6-2 lead.
 
Newtown settled in to put up three straight zeros, and Houghton struck again in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three more runs to go up, 9-2.
 
The Mavericks scrapped together four runs over the final three frames, but Houghton added two more in the fifth to seal the win.
 
Game 2:
The Highlanders offense pounded out 11 runs on 10 hits over the first three innings to jump out to an early 11-3 lead.
 
Medaille, however, refused to go down without a fight, scoring five runs on seven hits over the fourth and fifth innings to cut the Houghton lead to 11-8.
 
Jackson Medeiros came on in relief for Houghton to toss a scoreless sixth, and the Highlanders bats added some insurance in the bottom half of the inning.  Isaac Mann and Jose Morales pushed across a pair of runs with RBI singles, and some aggressive baserunning manufactured a third, putting Houghton up, 14-8.
 
In the final frame Medeiros faced only three batters, inducing a fly out and a pair of ground outs to earn his first career save.
 
KEY STATS:
>> Houghton wrought havoc on the basepaths, swiping 11 total bases over the two games, a feat they have not accomplished since March 2015, when they stole 11 bases in a single game against Elmira, then stole three more in a nightcap against RIT.
 
>> Kauffeldt finished his day with four hits, a walk, five stolen bases, and five runs scored.
 
>> Dylan Boprey, Chris VanCheri, Zach Parr, Mann and Morales all added three hits apiece for the Highlanders, while Ian Slate added a pair of doubles.
 
COACH'S CORNER:
"It was good to see our offense respond so well today.  We consistently put pressure on their pitchers and defense and that created a lot of opportunities for us. 
 
"I thought we hit well, ran the bases well and played good defense.  That will help to keep us in a lot of games.
 
"There are still a few parts of game that we'll need to clean up, but overall I was pleased, and we came away with a pair of much-needed wins." – Head Coach Brian Reitnour
 
UP NEXT:
With impending rain on Saturday, the Highlanders have pushed their doubleheader at Penn State-DuBois up, facing the Lions tomorrow at 4:00 and 7:00 p.m.