Nick Buckingham

Cal Thomay

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster closed the regular season on Sunday with a quality start from pitcher Nick Buckingham and a steady dose of offense as it scored in six of eight at bats, adding up to a 13-3 win against Ohio Wesleyan University and three-game sweep in a North Coast Athletic Conference Cross-Over Series, played at Art Murray Field.

While there was little on the line after Wooster (27-13, 16-3 NCAC) took Saturday's two games of the series to clinch a spot in the NCAC Tournament, the Fighting Scots put forth a workmanlike effort with two runs in the second inning, two more in the third, a single tally in the fifth, and three in the sixth, all while Buckingham was shutting out Ohio Wesleyan (13-26, 6-13 NCAC).

Cal Thomay and John McLain got the offense going with back-to-back doubles in the second, and with two outs, Bryan Miller beat out a hard grounder to third, plating McLain with the game's second run.

In the third, Wooster loaded the bases with one out and took advantage of Thomay's "swinging bunt" down the third-base line for an RBI single. McLain took a hit by pitch for a 4-0 advantage.

Thomay notched his third hit and second RBI of the afternoon when he cleared the fence in right for a solo homer during the fifth inning.

The Scots blew the game open in the sixth when Craig Day and Bryan Miller each singled, followed by Eddie Reese greeting a relief pitcher with a blast over the golf house in right-center for a three-run home run. It marked the 26th of his career, as he moved into a tie for 15th-place on the school's all-time list.

Buckingham took an 8-0, three-hit shutout into the top of the seventh and struck out the first two he faced that inning before finally running into trouble. The Battling Bishops strung together four singles and a walk, producing three runs, but Buckingham still finished the seventh and improved to 5-2 on the season.

Wooster turned two Ohio Wesleyan errors in the bottom of the seventh into three unearned runs to seal the victory, and in the top of the ninth, senior pitcher Jon Huisel put the finishing touches on the regular season with a strikeout.

Thomay's three-hit, two-RBI day (in four at bats) was matched by Day (3-for-5 with two RBI), while Reese collected four RBI, elevating his season total to 52, in just two plate appearances. Also of note, senior Kyle Koski made his first appearance of the year as the injured pitcher pinch ran and scored during the eighth inning.

The Scots will open the NCAC Tournament on Thursday, May 8, versus DePauw University (19-18) at a time to be announced. The tourney will take place at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio.