Ryan Farrell

Christian Julius

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – The 21st-ranked College of Wooster baseball team topped longtime Mideast Region nemesis, and 15th-ranked, Marietta College 13-12 on Saturday, and then concluded its annual spring break trip with a split with Alfred State College on Sunday at the former spring training site of the Boston Red Sox. The Pioneers won game one 7-4, and the Fighting Scots stormed back to run away with the nightcap 15-2.

Wooster (4-4) landed the first big blow against Marietta (9-3) on Saturday, and that came in the form of a four-run fourth inning, during which all of the damage came with two outs. First-year Dane Camphausen drew a bases-loaded walk, which plated senior Harry Witwer-Dukes, who was hit by a pitch while leading off the inning. Next, senior Aaron Spidell plated two runs with an opposite-field single, and then sophomore Ben Gbur smoked a single through the left side with Camphausen coming in to score on the play.

Marietta pulled within 8-7 with a six-spot in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Wooster answered right back with five runs in the top of the seventh. Senior Dan Gail started the inning by legging out a leadoff triple, and he advanced the final 90 feet on Spidell's single through the left side. Stolen based by Spidell and senior Nick Strausbaugh kept the pressure on the Etta Express, and first-year Dean Brown cashed in a two-run single. Strausbaugh and senior Dan Harwood had Wooster's other RBI knocks in the inning.

Damian Yenzi did his part to keep Marietta in the hunt in the ninth inning with a two-run round-tripper, but Wooster freshman Michael Klingensmith got Seamus Kenneally to fly out for the final out of the game.

Harwood and Spidell each went 4-for-6 against Marietta. Spidell had three RBI and scored twice, while Harwood contributed two RBI and a run. Junior Evan Faxon improved to 2-0 on the year. He allowed six runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings of work. Klingensmith worked 2 2/3 innings and allowed two runs on two hits en route to collecting his first collegiate save.

Yenzi went 2-for-5 with four RBI to lead Marietta's offense. John Stover was saddled with the loss after allowing six runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings. He also walked five Scots.

Alfred State (6-12) ace Andrew Santobuono kept Wooster's offense relatively in check in Sunday's opener, as the sophomore allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits during the seven-inning complete game. Alfred State jumped out to a 3-0 lead, and Justin LoTemple's three-run dinger in the bottom of the fifth inning ultimately proved to be the difference in the scoring column.

Wooster did tie the game at three in the third inning. Junior Zach Schuch reached on an error and came in to score on Brown's RBI single. Later in the inning, Gbur and Camphausen ripped RBI two-baggers, which plated Brown and Gbur, respectively.

Sophomore Mitchell Reardon took the loss. He allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits in four-plus innings of work.

Wooster's seniors did the heavy lifting in the Alfred State nightcap, and the big sticks were on full display in the third inning. Gail started the senior party by clearing the bases on a three-run triple. Tyler Iversen followed with an RBI double, and Christian Julius made it a 6-2 game with an RBI single.

The hit parade continued in the fourth inning when sophomore Jack Whitehouse scored on Spidell's RBI single. Next, Harwood broke the game wide open with his three-run blast upping Wooster's lead to 10-2.

Seven of Wooster's eight seniors had a hit in the nightcap and six of them logged at least one RBI. Ryan Farrell's came on a two-run single in the fifth.

First-year Christian Johnston picked up the win. He worked two scoreless innings and struck out three.

Spidell went 4-for-4 on the day, while Brown, Camphausen, Farrell, and Gail all finished with two hits.

Alfred State's Matteo Avallone went 3-for-7 with three RBI on the day.