Wooster Comes Back for Split at Hiram

HIRAM, Ohio – The College of Wooster baseball team added insurance runs late to hold off Hiram College 10-5 in Saturday's nightcap at Fishel Field at Proverbs Park. The Terriers upended the Fighting Scots 4-3 earlier in the day.

Wooster (14-20, 4-10 North Coast Athletic Conference) jumped out to a 4-0 lead on Hiram (14-20, 3-9 NCAC) in Saturday's finale. The score was already 1-0 when senior shortstop Eli Westrick's infield single scored junior center fielder Leo Widtmann. Sophomore first baseman Ryan Kramer's RBI single through the left side advanced the lead to 3-0, then junior second baseman Nick Pett made it 4-0 on a sacrifice fly.

Hiram was within 6-5 after five innings of play. First-year right-hander Constantine Vernadakis struck out John Bender to end the fifth inning with the tying run on third base.

Wooster's sixth inning started with Kramer blasting a double into left center and scoring on Pett's single to center field. Wooster's lead was back to four when Westrick's two-run double to right field scored sophomore catcher Nathaniel Huxtable and Widtmann in the seventh inning.

Sophomore Sammy De Maio (3-4) was the game-two winner, throwing an inning of scoreless baseball. Junior Alex Gerdenich and first-year Noah Kasper followed with a combined three innings of two-hit shutout baseball. Gerdenich and Kasper combined for four strikeouts.

Hiram's Nicolas Chernitsky (3-3) took the loss after allowing six runs (two earned) on 11 hits in five innings.

Gerdenich swung the hot stick in game one, going 3-for-3 at the plate with a walk and RBI. His fourth-inning single through the right side put Wooster on the board. Widtmann, who singled to center field with one out, scored on Gerdenich's knock. Wooster tied game one at two on sophomore left fielder John Panstares' RBI fielder's choice, which scored sophomore designated hitter Dan Hanson, who had two hits in the opener.

Pett's ninth home run of the year had Wooster within 4-3 in the eighth inning. Landin Westcott worked around a leadoff baserunner in the ninth inning by striking out the side.

Jack Conley's one run on three hits in 3 1/3 innings of relief earned the win. Conley moved to 3-6 on the year. Senior Corey Knauf fell to 4-4 after allowing four runs on seven hits in six innings. First-year Michael Scarpelli fired two innings of scoreless relief for Wooster.

Westrick's five hits led Wooster and were followed by four apiece off the bats of Gerdenich and Pett. Pett added four RBI on the day, while Widtmann's three runs led all Wooster players.

Ethan Ryan went 4-for-7 with three runs scored for Hiram.

Next, Wooster plays a non-conference game at John Carroll University (12-21) at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 28.