Scots Continue to Feast on Bullpens, Sweep Tigers in Indiana

GREENCASTLE, Indiana – Another North Coast Athletic Conference bullpen was punished by The College of Wooster baseball team, which battered DePauw University's relief crew for 16 runs in five innings during Saturday's sweep. Wooster tagged DePauw for six runs in the eighth inning to turn a 3-3 tie into a 9-3 game-one win, then the Tigers surrendered 10 runs over the final three innings of the nightcap, won by the Fighting Scots 11-7.

In the opener, senior right fielder Dean Brown rocketed a double to right center in the eighth inning and scored two batters later when first-year catcher Colin Leslie smacked a triple up the alley in right. Sophomore designated hitter Leo Widtmann's single to right field knocked in Leslie and padded Wooster's (13-16, 8-4 North Coast Athletic Conference) lead to 5-3.

Johnny Curry was summoned from the bullpen to attempt to curtail Wooster's surge on Nathaniel Tencza (0-3), only he added to the trouble, walking junior shortstop Grant Mitchell to load the bases before serving up a grand slam to first-year centerfielder John Panstares. Panstares' blast made it a 9-3 contest.

DePauw (10-19, 3-7 NCAC) star left-hander Michael Vallone was in control early, surrendering just one hit through four innings. Things changed come the fifth, as junior second baseman Eli Westrick found the power alley to put the Scots on the board with a two-out homer. Wooster's offense sparked following that, with Mitchell walking and moving to third on Panstares' single to center field. First-year first baseman Ryan Kramer kept the pressure on with an RBI single to left field that tied the score at two, then Brown pushed the Scots ahead with a base knock to center field.

DePauw tied the game at three when Danny Glimco doubled to the alley in left center in the bottom of the fifth inning. Wooster escaped out of a jam in the sixth inning when junior right-hander Corey Knauf got Hunter Hrbek to ground out to him for the final out of the inning with two runners in scoring position.

Wooster kept its deficit at one in the bottom of the second frame. Kyle Boyer tried to book it for second base with two outs, only Knauf reacted in time to step off the rubber and initiate a rundown. Ty Sucher was thrown out by Kramer trying to come home while Boyer was caught up between first and second.

Knauf's record evened out at 2-2 with seven innings of work, during which he allowed three runs on 11 hits. Sophomore Alex Gerdenich went the rest of the way, firing two innings of one-hit shutout relief. Vallone struck out 12 in his seven innings of work and finished with three runs on six hits on his line. Tencza worked 2/3 of an inning and gave up four runs on three hits.

Wooster played from ahead in the nightcap, scoring on Brown's sacrifice fly in the first inning. Prior to that, Westrick led off with an infield single, Mitchell walked, and the duo used their speed to move up 90 feet via stolen bases.

Game two was tied at one when DePauw turned to its bullpen in the seventh inning. Wooster cashed in on Jack Miller's ineffectiveness. Miller loaded the bases by surrendering an RBI single to Westrick, walking Mitchell, and walking Panstares. The lead was already in Wooster's hands at that point, with Leslie scoring on the Westrick knock. Next, Kramer welcomed Ben Axelrod to the mound with a two-run single up the middle, and the lead grew to 5-1 when Brown's hit fell in center field to score Panstares.

DePauw hung around, getting within 5-3 before Wooster came back to bat. Westrick's two-run homer made it 7-3 before Kramer's two-run homer, senior left fielder Jack Whitehouse's RBI single, and first-year pinch hitter Dan Hanson's bases-loaded walk upped the lead to 11-3 in the eighth inning.

The Tigers made some noise in the eighth, getting within 11-7 before first-year Sammy De Maio got Aidan Howard to foul out to Whitehouse down the left field line, and the Scots went around the horn for the inning-ending two-for-one special when Glimco grounded out to first-year third baseman Andrew McGowan.

Thanks to taking the lead in the seventh, senior Ryan Sullivan (3-2) earned the win. He allowed one run on three hits in six innings. Gerdenich came on for the ninth, worked out of the jam, and scored the save in the process. Miller dropped to 0-1.

Westrick finished 7-for-10 with five runs scored, four RBI, and two homers, and the strong showing upped his season average from .400 to .425. Kramer was the other offensive juggernaut, going 4-for-8 with five RBI and a homer. Cameron Macon led DePauw, going 6-for-10 with two runs scored and two RBI.

Next, Heidelberg University (13-19) comes to Art Murray Field for a single game, which is set for 1 p.m. on April 23.