Matt Groezinger

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster's offense produced a double-digit run total for the second and third consecutive games, leading to an 11-3, 12-8 sweep of Penn State Behrend Sunday afternoon at an overcast Art Murray Field.

Wooster (28-7) fell behind early in both games, but came back with big innings and then cruised to relatively comfortable wins. In the opener, Penn State Behrend (24-7) tallied a run in the first, only to commit three errors during the bottom of that frame, which allowed the Fighting Scots to put a four-spot on the board. Shane Swearingen (Hillard, Ohio / Bishop Watterson) had the hardest hit ball of the inning – a two-out single to right-center – for the fourth run.

Wooster made it 7-1 in the second when Matt Groezinger (Columbus, Ohio / Upper Arlington) hammered a ball well beyond the right-field fence as the switch-hitter's homer accounted for all three runs that inning.

The two teams exchanged single runs in the third and then the Scots sealed the outcome via a three-run fifth inning. That saw a leadoff walk, a John Warren (New Castle, Pa. / Union Area) RBI double with one out, followed by a high drive to center that carried into a home run for Sean Kapren (Venetia, Pa. / Peters Twp.), which gave Wooster an 11-2 lead.

Despite getting hit hard at times, Mark Miller (Convoy, Ohio / Crestview) used a pair of timely double plays and five strikeouts to limit the damage while improving to 7-1 on the season. He went 5.1 innings in all, yielding two earned runs on 10 hits without a walk.

The visiting Lions jumped all over the Scots during game two, highlighted by two of their first three batters – Jonathan Gray and Josh Fyffe – hitting home runs. They scored five runs in all in the first inning and then set down Wooster 1-2-3 in the home half.

The Scots quickly changed the game's complexion during the second with a scoreless top of the inning and then nine runs on nine hits in the bottom. Groezinger, this time batting from the right side of the plate, had a leadoff homer to left-center and then five of the next six batters reached safely on four singles and a walk, scoring two in the process to pull within 5-3. The key hit of the frame was provided by Stu Beath (St. Louis, Mo. / Avon Old Farms – Conn.), when with the bases loaded and two outs, he smacked a three-run double into right-center.

Having batted around the order, Groezinger then singled Beath home, and before the inning was through, Zack Vesco (Pickerington, Ohio / St. Charles Prep) sent a two-run single up the middle, as Wooster quickly transformed a 5-0 deficit into a 9-5 advantage.

Penn State Behrend bounced right back with three runs in the third before Justin McDowell (Willard, Ohio / Willard) was summoned from the bullpen and struck out a pair to keep the Scots ahead 9-8.

The bottom of the third saw Karpen lay down a one-out bunt single, Warren beat out an infield single, and then Beath brought them home with another double, this time slapping one to the opposite field (left-center) for an 11-8 lead.

Wooster would add an insurance run in the fifth via a Warren liner to left, resulting in an RBI single.

McDowell picked up the win (5-2), working 3.2 innings of one-hit scoreless relief, including three strikeouts.

The Scots had several offensive standouts on the day. Warren had the most hits via a 4-for-7 performance, while Groezinger and Beath combined for 11 RBI, the former with six and the latter with five while going 3-for-8 and 3-for-7, respectively. Karpen, Matthew Pierce (Oklahoma City, Okla. / Casady School), and Michael DeBord (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio / Woodridge) also each went 3-for-7.

The Lions were paced by Gray, who had five hits and three RBI in six at bats.

Next for the Scots is a home date Tuesday against Otterbein College (15-10) at 4 p.m.