Errors Costly For No. 23 Wooster, as No. 25 Denison Sweeps Scots to Split Four-Game Weekend Set

Fielding miscues haunted the 23rd-ranked College of Wooster baseball team in Sunday's opener, and then blustery conditions at hitter-friendly Art Murray Field turned the weekend finale between Mideast Region powerhouses into a slugfest, with 25th-ranked Denison University taking two, 11-9 and 13-8, to salvage a weekend split.

Wooster (5-3) and Denison (5-3) were deadlocked at nine entering the seventh inning of game one. Sophomore Owen Barnard (0-1), who was making his collegiate debut, punched out a pair of Big Red batters before Will Krushena guessed right on the right-hander's first-pitch offering and drilled the go-ahead two-run homer out to right.

Caleb Struewing (1-0), the fourth Big Red pitcher to work in the opener, took charge in the bottom of the frame, retiring the side in order. He worked two scoreless innings.

Wooster tied the game at nine in the bottom of the sixth inning. For the second straight day, the Scots got to Big Red reliever Henry Hack, who surrendered a leadoff single to junior Ben Hines before walking junior Tyler Chumita. After a Denison error loaded the bases, Haack plunked sophomore Dane Camphausen and junior Alex Gasper, with both hit batsman forcing in a run.

An inning prior, Wooster had a three spot to take a 7-5 lead. Chumita teed up a 2-0 pitch from starter Charlie Fleming for a solo dinger, while later, sophomore Dean Brown deposited a two-run single into left center, with Camphausen and junior Ben Gbur touching home.

Speaking of homers, junior Dominic Stilliana led off the fourth inning with a first-pitch blast, and at that point the Scots led 4-0. However, the lead didn't hold, with a Wooster fifth-inning error opening the door for a five-run inning. In the sixth, Denison's Max Lahn homered to lead off the inning, and two Wooster errors ultimately enabled three more runs to cross.

Chumita, Hines, and Stilliana had two hits apiece for the Scots in the opener. Junior Colin Springer had one of the Scots' other noteworthy nuggets, as he worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the second after entering in support of starter Corey Knauf.

Krushena was Denison's hero with a 3-for-5 game with three runs scored and two RBI. Fleming allowed seven runs on eight hits in his 4 1/3 innings of work.

Denison's lineup was dialed in on Wooster starter Christian Johnston in the nightcap, with Dylan Hunter, Brian McAuliffe, and Danny Alvarez taking the sophomore left-hander deep in the first inning, as the Big Red raced out to a 5-0 lead.

Wooster's lineup was equally up to the task, with the Scots roughing up Denison starter Kenny Lippman for four runs in the bottom of the frame. Gbur took the Big Red righty deep for a two-run shot on an 0-2 pitch, and Camphausen roped a double up the alley in left before coming in on senior Noah Clement's single to center. Gasper nearly blasted a grand slam later in the inning, with right fielder Cameron Brickley tracking down the fly ball just in front of the fence, but the Scots' catcher did his part to pull Wooster closer with the sacrifice fly capping the scoring in the inning.

Wooster trailed 12-4 entering the bottom of the fifth inning. Stilliana's leadoff single up the middle and stolen base sparked the Scots, with Wooster's left fielder eventually coming in on Gasper's two-base knock. After freshman Grant Mitchell walked for the third time in the game, Hines laced a two-run triple to the right field corner. Chumita's RBI ground out pulled Wooster within 12-8.

Chumita went 4-for-5 in the weekend finale to finish the four-game set 11-of-15 with eight runs scored, four doubles, a homer, and seven RBI. Camphausen went 2-for-4, while the Scots had six other base knocks. Johnston fell to 0-2 after allowing nine runs (seven earned) on 11 hits in three-plus innings.

Five of Denison's first six batters had two hits each in the finale, with Hunter and McAuliffe knocking in two apiece. Patrick Neenan picked up the win with a scoreless inning of relief in support of Lippman.

Next, Wooster opens North Coast Athletic Conference East Division play against Hiram College (4-8) at noon on Saturday, April 3 at Art Murray Field.