ALLIANCE, Ohio – Sophomore designated hitter Eli Westrick clubbed a game-tying three-run double in the top of the ninth inning, senior catcher Michael Thomas staked The College of Wooster baseball team to a 10-8 lead on a two-run triple in the top of the 10th inning, then junior Christian Johnston worked a one-two-three inning to give the Fighting Scots a midweek sweep over former Ohio Athletic Conference rival University of Mount Union at Rafeld-Rogers FIeld after beating Mount Union 13-5 at Art Murray Field on Tuesday.
Wooster (22-9), trailing 10-7, was down to its final out when Westrick stepped to the dish. The Scots had already extended the inning once when senior shortstop Tyler Chumita was nailed by a pitch again, and prior to that, Thomas and senior left fielder Dominic Stilliana drew back-to-back walks to start the inning. Then senior right fielder Ben Hines replaced Stilliana on the bases on a fielder's choice. Westrick went the opposite way with his game-tying, bases-clearing rope.
Mount Union (17-14) had the winning run 90 feet away in the bottom of the ninth before junior left-hander Ryan Sullivan pinned a backward strikeout on Connor Hyndman's line for the final out of the inning. Sullivan's game-saving strikeout was one of two key plays from the southpaw in the inning, as he caught Brian Livolsi leaning at first base after he reached on a one-out single.
Junior third baseman Dean Brown legged out a leadoff double to center field to start the 10th inning, then moved up to third on a wild pitch right after first-year second baseman Nick Pett walked. Brown and first-year pinch runner Leo Widtmann scored on Thomas' triple to the right-center gap.
Johnston (save 3) made quick work of Mount Union in the bottom of the 10th inning with a groundout to junior first baseman Dane Camphausen that was followed by fly balls that made their way into the waiting gloves of Hines and senior center fielder Ben Gbur, respectively.
Westrick, who had a five-RBI day, hammered a double down the right field line in the first inning, and that plated Hines, who singled to center and stole second. Mount Union answered right back on Walker Marlow's sacrifice fly. The teams again traded runs in the third, with Wooster's coming when Gbur scored on Chumita's sacrifice fly. Defensively, Wooster did twist a six-three double play on the grounder Mount Union scored on.
The Purple Raiders pulled ahead in the fourth, and again in the fifth, with that lead sticking until Westrick's three-run knock in the ninth.
Westrick's career day featured four hits, two of which were doubles. Hines went 3-for-5 with three runs, and his stolen base was the 21st of the season. Chumita's RBI count climbed to 57, and he is now three shy of becoming the 16th in program history with a 60-RBI year.
Wooster's trio of junior Ethan Samangy, Sullivan, and Johnston picked up senior starter Dylan Carr with 4 1/3 innings of five-hit shutout relief. Sullivan fired two scoreless frames en route to securing the win.
Zack Mazza went 4-for-5 out of the leadoff spot for Mount Union, while Marlow finished with three RBI. Osman fell to 1-2 after allowing six runs in three innings.
Next, two of the NCAC's top ballclubs collide, as Wooster (8-4 NCAC) heads to Granville, Ohio, for a key doubleheader against league-leading Denison University (22-7, 10-1 NCAC). First pitch on Saturday, April 30 is set for noon.