Joey Gilmore

Michael Houdek

After an 8-3 complete-game victory from Michael Houdek during the opener, The College of Wooster battled back to score a 7-5 extra-inning win in the nightcap, as the Fighting Scots took the first two games over Hiram College in the North Coast Athletic Conference East Division opponents' four-game series at Hiram, Ohio.

Wooster (18-8, 6-2 NCAC East) supplied Houdek with six runs over the first three innings, which was more than enough support for the ace of the staff. Jamie Lackner kick started the offense by leading off the second with his third homer of the year and the Scots added another tally that frame via Kenny Reckart's fielder's choice play that plated Drew Tornow, who had singled.

In the third, Tornow doubled Lackner to third base with one out and the latter came home via an error. The big blow came a couple batters later when Joey Gilmore delivered a two-out, three-run homer to left.

It was 7-0 by the time Hiram (6-22, 3-12 NCAC East) got on the board with the help of a leadoff error. All three runs that Houdek surrendered were unearned, as he gave up just three hits over the seven innings of work. He improved to 4-2 while throwing his first complete game of the season, second of his career.

In the nightcap, Wooster was down 3-2 entering the latter stages, but used some two-out magic for the tying run during the top of the seventh. Michael Wielansky and Lackner produced back-to-back singles, and then the Scots took advantage of an error.

The teams tallied a run apiece during the eighth inning, with Reckart scoring Wooster's as he delivered a leadoff single to the opposite field, advanced to second via a Gilmore sacrifice bunt, and eventually crossed home plate when Ryan Ostendorf beat out an infield single.

After stranding runners in the ninth, the Scots put up a three-spot during the 10th. With Gilmore and Ostendorf walking, sandwiched around a sacrifice bunt, Jake Fling came up with the go-ahead hit, singling to center. Wielansky followed with a two-run single.

The Terriers threatened to come back during the bottom of the 10th, loading the bases and tallying one run with two outs, before Chandler Dippman came on and notched a one-out save.

That gave Hank Schlueter, who pitched the eighth and the ninth innings, his first win (1-0) of the year.

Pacing Wooster's offense were Fling (3-for-8), Wielansky (3-for-8), Tornow (3-for-8), and Dippman (3-for-7).

The two teams will play another twin bill on Sunday, starting at noon.