Jake Fling

Dylan McCreary

The College of Wooster, up five spots to No. 17 in this week's D3baseball.com top-25 poll, produced six runs off of 14 hits and five of its pitchers combined to limit Muskingum University to five hits, adding up to a 6-2 win during Wednesday afternoon non-conference action in New Concord, Ohio.

Wooster (9-2) was behind 2-1 through two innings, then went ahead with a two-run third and gained some separation from Muskingum (12-6) by plating three during the seventh. The Fighting Scots' leadoff hitter, Jake Fling, opened both of those frames with hits, first singling in the third and scoring on Michael Wielansky's double into the right-center gap. Wielansky trotted home two batters later via a Ryan Ostendorf base knock.

In the seventh, Fling stroked a double into right, took third when Kenny Reckart executed a sacrifice bunt, and Wielansky plated him on a sacrifice fly to give Wooster a 4-2 advantage.

With the bases empty and two outs, the Scots rallied for two insurance runs. Jamie Lackner drew a walk, Ostendorf delivered an RBI triple into right field, and Drew Tornow greeted a relief pitcher by pulling one down the line for a run-scoring double.

The four-run cushion was plenty for Wooster's pitching staff to finish off the victory, as Nanak Saran yielded just a two-out single in the seventh and a two-out walk in the eighth and Michael Whitaker overcame a hit batter for a scoreless ninth.

Michael Houdek was credited with the win (2-1) after facing just one batter over the minimum during the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, while Dylan McCreary also threw well as the senior side-arm specialist set down the Muskies 1-2-3 in the third.

Fling and Ostendorf both finished with three-hit days, going 3-for-5 and 3-for-4, respectively, and Reckart, Lackner, and Tornow each went 2-for-4.

Muskingum's lone player with multiple hits was Dallas Allen (2-for-3).

The Scots will make their 2016 home debut and open North Coast Athletic Conference East Division play on Saturday against Allegheny College (5-7). First pitch at Art Murray Field is scheduled for noon.