Strong Pitching Helps Run Wooster's Winning Streak to Nine

OBERLIN, Ohio – Strong pitching performances in both games led The College of Wooster baseball team to a midweek sweep over Oberlin College on Tuesday afternoon at Dill Field. Wooster took game one 8-3 and the nightcap 4-1 to run its winning streak to nine straight.

Wooster (14-10, 4-0 North Coast Athletic Conference) sophomore right-hander Michael Scarpelli carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning of the opening game. He went on to fire 7 1/3 strong innings, allowing just three runs on six hits. The right-hander struck out five. Junior Cooper Baer followed with 1 2/3 innings of shutout relief.

Offensively, Wooster opened a 5-0 lead in the second inning. Junior catcher Colin Leslie's RBI single knocked in NCAC Hitter of the Week Nick Pett. Next, first-year shortstop Luke Rizzo smoked a two-run single to left center. Sophomore third baseman Zack Barienbrock's knock up the middle got through the infield and scored Huxtable and Rizzo.

Wooster moved its lead to 7-2 in the top of the sixth inning. Senior center fielder Leo Widtmann ripped an opposite-field double down the left field line. He had a good read on a wild pitch and scored with the throw to third from Oberlin (7-14, 0-2 NCAC) catcher Anton Shelton wound up in the outfield.

Leslie's defense stood out down the stretch. The junior catcher tracked down a foul ball to end the bottom of the sixth inning, then caught Jeffrey Chen trying to steal in the seventh for the inning-ending strikeout, throw-out double play. Widtmann followed that up with a two-out solo homer in the top of the eighth inning.

In game two, junior Jack Spring, this week's NCAC Pitcher of the Week, struck out 12 and held Oberlin to a run on six hits over 7 2/3 stellar innings. Spring faced one over the minimum spanning innings four through seven, aided by an around-the-horn double play started by Barienbrock in the sixth.

Wooster turned to small ball execution in the first inning, as Barienbrock intentionally got caught up in a rundown, allowing Widtmann to score from third for the game's first run. Leslie's solo homer in the sixth broke the 1-1 tie, then Wooster tacked on two runs on wild pitches in the eighth inning.

Sophomore Constantine Vernadakis nailed down his third save. He went 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit. Vernadakis escaped out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth, ending the inning with a comebacker to the mound.

Barienbrock went 5-for-9 with two RBI on the day. Leslie scored a co-team-leading three runs to go with his 3-for-7 line with two RBI and the homer.

Kyle Baxt was 5-for-8 with a homer and two RBI to lead Oberlin.

Calvin Burkholder (3-3) was the losing pitcher in game one. Burkholder was tagged for seven runs on 11 hits in six innings. Grayson Black (1-3) took the loss in game two. He allowed four runs on six hits in 7 1/3 innings.

Next, Wooster heads to DePauw University (7-15, 1-3 NCAC) for a doubleheader on Saturday, April 5. First pitch is at noon.