ALLIANCE, Ohio - The No. 1 seed and No. 21 nationally ranked Mount Union baseball team (27-11) lost its OAC tournament elimination game against No. 2 seed Ohio Northern University (28-11) at Rafeld-Rogers Field on Friday by a score of 8-6.

The Purple Raiders had a 5-0 lead through six innings before the Polar Bears rallied with seven runs in the eighth for a comeback victory.

Starting left-handed pitcher Zachary Breeden (Cincinnati, Ohio / Oak Hills) pitched 7.1 innings of work with strikeouts, allowing four runs, with three being earned. Right-handed senior pitcher Chris Phillips (Elyria, Ohio / Elyria Catholic) pitched 0.0 innings of work, allowing three runs.

Sophomore Daniel Thome III (Lakewood, Ohio / St. Edwards) started scoring for the Purple Raiders in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI single. Sophomore outfielder Brycen Fox (Hamilton, Ohio / Badin) added an RBI single, giving Mount Union an early 2-0 lead. The Purple Raiders continued to add to their lead as senior shortstop Alex Stegman (Berea, Ohio / Berea-Midpark) hit an RBI single in the bottom of the third. Stegman, on the day, batted 3-for-4 with an RBI and a walk.

Graduate first baseman Jaired Lehman (Monroeville, Pa. / Gateway) recorded an RBI single, while graduate second baseman Andrew Witte (Mentor, Ohio / Mentor) contributed with an RBI groundout. Witte had an impressive game, going 3-for-5 and adding an RBI. Sophomore left-handed pitcher Chase Mayer (Amherst, Ohio / Amherst Steele) pitched 1.2 innings, striking out three batters and allowing one run.

Ohio Northern added seven runs in the top of the eighth inning. The Purple Raiders added a run at the bottom of the ninth, but the team's rally fell short, with bases loaded and two outs.

Witte and Lehman were named on the 2025 All-OAC Tournament Team.

Mount Union now waits to see if it will land an at-large bid in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.