Brown Walks Off Allegheny With Three-Run Homer in Senior Recognition Day Sweep

Sophomore third baseman Dean Brown hammered an 0-2 pitch for a walk-off three-run homer to lift the 25th-ranked College of Wooster baseball team to a 5-2 win over Allegheny College on "senior recognition day" on Saturday afternoon at Art Murray Field. Wooster rolled to an 11-5 win in game two.

The winning run was just 90 feet from the dish when Brown stepped into the box, as Wooster (20-6) junior catcher Alex Gasper roped a one-out double down the left field line, then moved up 90 feet on an Allegheny (12-9) passed ball. The Gators elected to intentionally walk senior second baseman Gabe Sherman to put a potential double play on the table, but Brown took matters into his own hands for the walk-off.

On the bump, senior left-hander Evan Faxon carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning, and along the ride, the biochemistry and molecular biology major struck out the side in the second. Faxon finished with a career-high 10 strikeouts, and that marked the first 10-strikeout game since Michael Houdek fanned that many against Colby College on March 23, 2017. Faxon's line included 6 1/3 innings pitched, four hits, two runs, two earned runs, four walks, and the 10 strikeouts.

Allegheny's runs came in the fifth. Isaiah Lucas doubled to start the inning and scored on Luke Chutko's two-run double down the left field line. Faxon worked out of any further damage by striking out Chase Chodkowski and Brett Heckert – the Gators' two- and three-hole hitters – to end the inning.

Wooster halved Allegheny's lead in the bottom of the inning. Senior left fielder Noah Clement legged out a leadoff triple, and touched home when Gasper punched a single through the left side of the infield. In the sixth, junior right fielder Ben Hines lifted a 1-2 offering from Allegheny's Conor Deasy over the fence for his second dinger of the year.

In the seventh, junior Colin Springer (2-0) worked out of a bases-loaded jam. The right-hander got Heckert to fly out to Hines and then struck out cleanup hitter Jake Stotsky.

Hines and Gasper combined for four of Wooster's six hits in the opener, while Brown finished 1-for-3.

Chutko went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Deasy (3-1) took the loss. He didn't allow a hit until the fourth inning, but was saddled with five runs on six hits when all was said and done.

Of note, Wooster now has two walk-off wins at Art Murray Field this year.

Wooster chased starter Nolan Thompson after just two-thirds of an inning in game two. Junior shortstop Tyler Chumita laced a single up the middle, and the Scots quickly loaded the bases with walks to Hines and junior center fielder Ben Gbur. Two batters later, sophomore first baseman Dane Camphausen cleared the bases with a three-run double, and he came in to score on Brown's double to left.

Roman Santia's two-run blast in the fifth pulled Allegheny within 5-4, but Wooster answered right back with a five-spot during its ups in the inning. After Wooster loaded the bases, Gbur deposited a two-run single into center, and two batters later, Camphausen drew a bases-loaded free pass. Next, Wooster's speed took over, with Gasper scoring all the way from second on a rare two-run sacrifice fly off the bat of junior left fielder Dominic Stilliana.

Chumita and Hines combined to go 5-for-7 with five runs and two RBI atop Wooster's lineup, while Camphausen was the high Scot in the RBI column in the nightcap with three. Senior Jay DiBacco improved to 6-0, and he now leads the North Coast Athletic Conference in wins. DiBacco allowed four runs on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. Junior Dylan Carr, senior Jack Jones, and first-year Corey Knauf combined to allow one run on two hits in 2 2/3 innings of relief.

Jacob Budnar swung a hot stick for Allegheny to the tune of a 3-for-3 line with three RBI and two runs scored. Thompson fell to 2-1. He allowed four runs on three hits.

Prior to game one, Wooster recognized its seven seniors – Clement, DiBacco, Faxon, Jones, senior outfielder Zach Schuch, Sherman, and senior pitcher Steve Spidell.

Wooster and Allegheny have another doubleheader on the books, with first pitch from Robertson Field in Meadville, Pennsylvania, set for noon on Sunday, May 2.