Kenny Reckart

Frank Vance

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster and Wabash College sprayed an NCAA Div. III record 20 doubles across Art Murray Field in game two of their North Coast Athletic Conference Cross-Over Series, including five off the bat of the Fighting Scots' Frank Vance, which equaled a Div. III record, as the senior third baseman helped propel the home team to a 26-20 comeback victory, following a more routine 8-6 win during the opener on Saturday.

With the sweep, Wooster (32-7, 16-2 NCAC) earned a spot in next week's NCAC Tournament.

The 20 combined doubles – 10 for each team – was five more than in any other Div. III game previously reported. Most recently, Marian (Wis.) University and Marantha Baptist University totaled 15 on May 9, 2005.

Wabash (12-25, 4-14 NCAC) held a 13-10 lead in the late stages of the second game, only to see the Scots explode for a 12-run bottom of the seventh. That frame began with Vance's third two-bagger – a ground-rule double over the left-center fence – and Wooster proceeded to bat around without an out being recorded, as Jamie Lackner walked, John McLain hit a sharp RBI single, Jake Kail singled, Drew Tornow found a hole through the left side for an RBI base knock, Ian Vernier brought in a run on a bases-loaded walk, Kenny Reckart took a hit by pitch for the lead, Jake Fling dropped one inside the right-field line for a two-run single, and Tyler Schuch reached safely on an RBI fielder's choice play.

Vance continued the run, smashing a two-run double off the wall in centerfield, and Lackner and McLain each walked before Kail's sacrifice fly marked the first out. That made it 20-13, but the Scots weren't done as they tacked on two more in the inning via a Tornow single and Vernier sacrifice fly.

The Little Giants attempted to battle back with three runs during the top of the eighth to pull within 22-16 and Wooster matched them with three the home half of the inning, all coming when Kail drove one over the fence in right, marking the sophomore's first career home run.

Prior to Kail's homer, Vance grounded a single past the shortstop into left-center and stretched it into a record-tying fifth double. Only two others in Div. III history have accomplished the feat, with the last time during the 2009 season. Vance's first and second doubles came to right-center in the third, even though the defense was aligned for the left-hander to pull the ball, and to an empty spot in left in the fifth.

Overall, Vance was a perfect 6-for-6, just one short of his own school record for hits in a game, with five RBI, and another offensive highlight came from Lackner as the Scots' clean-up batter equaled a team record for walks with four free passes to go with a 3-for-3 performance when swinging. Kail, who entered as a pinch hitter during the sixth inning, went 3-for-3 as well with four RBI, and Tornow also had a three-hit game (3-for-6).

On the mound, Joey Gilmore earned the win in his first career appearance. The junior had been Wooster's starting right fielder before an injury relegated him to pinch running duty recently. He may have found an new role, entering in the sixth and stranding two runners, working around a leadoff double for a scoreless seventh, and getting one more out before Wabash got to him a little in the eighth.

In game one, the Scots received seven shutout innings from Michael Houdek, plus home runs from Reckart, Lackner, and McLain as they opened up a 7-0 lead through seven innings, however, they had to withstand a Little Giants' comeback bid as the visitors got the tying run to the plate in the top of the ninth.

Houdek coasted through seven innings, scattering five hits, then after striking out his sixth batter to begin the eighth, Wabash loaded the bases. Wooster went to the bullpen and David Oliger slammed the first pitch from the reliever beyond the left-center fence to make it a 7-4 game.

The Scots tallied an insurance run in the bottom of the inning, courtesy of a Schuch RBI double.

With one out in the top of the ninth, Tyler Hampton hit a towering fly to left-center that resulted in a two-run homer to bring the Little Giants within two runs. An out later, Wooster closer Michael Whitaker was summoned, and after yielding a double, he induced the next hitter into a harmless pop-up to right for his eighth save. Houdek improved to 7-1.

Offensively, the first game highlights consisted of Fling going a perfect 4-for-4 at the top of the lineup and Reckart's first career homer – a shot out to right in the second for the first two runs.