Wittenberg's Pitching Quiets Wooster, as Tigers Sweep Scots

WOOSTER, Ohio – Wittenberg University's dominant starting pitching carried the Tigers to a Saturday sweep of The College of Wooster baseball team at Art Murray Field. Wittenberg took game one 5-3 and captured the nightcap 7-3.

Nick Cunningham handcuffed Wooster (9-13, 4-2 North Coast Athletic Conference) for five innings in the opener, facing just one over the minimum during that stretch. Junior second baseman Eli Westrick broke up the no-hitter with a two-out single to center field in the sixth inning. Senior first baseman Dane Camphausen erased the brewing shutout with his 30th-career home run in the seventh inning. He became the 15th Wooster great to hit the 30 benchmark, and the two-run blast to left field pulled Wooster within 5-2.

Wooster threatened in the ninth, with the first three Scots reaching base safely. Wittenberg turned to Justin Maynard, who promptly induced a double play grounder. While Wooster did score a run on the play, that erased the tying run from the bases. Maynard induced another slow grounder that third baseman Ben Seibert got to for the final out of the opening game.

Junior right-hander Corey Knauf worked out of a first-inning jam, striking out back-to-back Tigers (16-6, 4-0 NCAC) to strand two on the bases. He was not as fortunate the next inning, as two Wooster errors helped the Tigers get on the board. James MacAuley's two-run single upped the lead to 5-0 in the top of the fifth inning.

Knauf (1-1) allowed five runs (three earned) on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings. Senior Ethan Samangy, first-year Cooper Baer, first-year Sammy De Maio, and first-year Logan Creamer teamed up for 3 1/3 shutout innings out of the bullpen. Creamer worked a one-two-three ninth inning.

Cunningham (3-2) allowed two runs on two hits in 6 2/3 innings. The Tigers held the Scots to just six hits in game one.

Junior shortstop Grant Mitchell had Wooster on top early in game two. The switch hitter blasted a one-out double to near the right field corner in the first inning. He scored on Camphausen's 11th RBI of the week, and the Scots' star first baseman had his 10th hit in that stretch when he roped a single through the left side.

Westrick's RBI single doubled the lead to 2-0 in the second inning, but Wittenberg answered back with a three-run third inning. The Tigers tacked on one in the fifth inning and two in the sixth inning.

Defensively, first-year catcher Colin Leslie threw out Luke Thomas for the Scots' second strike out-throw out double play of the week. First-year third baseman Andrew McGowan made a diving stop at third base on an MacAuley grounder to get the Scots out of the fourth inning. Later, junior left fielder Bryn Langley tracked down a  foul ball down the left field line to hold Wittenberg to just a run in the fifth inning and Westrick cut off a Leslie throw on an attempted rundown steal play to get the Tiger out at the dish, which got Wooster out of the sixth.

Senior Ryan Sullivan (2-1) started the nightcap and allowed four runs on nine hits in four innings. First-year Devin Anthony struck out the side in the seventh inning and senior Christian Johnston followed with a scoreless eighth inning.

Michael Osmond ran his record to 3-0 after holding the Scots to two runs on five hits in seven innings. He struck out eight.

Camphausen finished the afternoon 4-for-7 with three RBI and two runs scored, and he was a triple shy of a cycle for the day. Senior right fielder Dean Brown followed with three hits.

Four Tigers had at least four hits on the day, including Matt Moore, who led Wittenberg with five. MacAuley and Chase Whisner tied for the team lead with three RBI.

Three-time All-American Jamie Lackner, a 2017 alumnus, was the last Scot to hit over 30 career homers.

Wooster is idle until a doubleheader at frontrunning No. 13 Denison University (19-4, 6-0 NCAC) on Saturday, April 15. First pitch is set for noon.