WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster baseball team averaged a home run per trip to the dish in Monday's 13-4 game-one win, then John Carroll University took game two convincingly, 13-3, at Art Murray Field.
Senior center fielder Ben Gbur immediately slugged Wooster's (24-11) first round-tripper of the day, as the first pitch from John Carroll's (18-18) Joe Smith was blasted over the left field fence. Senior left fielder Dominic Stilliana went the opposite way for a grand slam that capped Wooster's five-run first inning. In between home runs, sophomore designated hitter Eli Westrick laced a two-out single through the left side of the infield, as did junior third baseman Dean Brown. Then, first-year second baseman Nick Pett loaded the bases full of Scots with a two-out walk.
A solo home run started off Wooster's first three at bats on Monday. Senior first baseman Alex Gasper clubbed a solo home run out to center in the second inning, then Brown mashed a dinger to left center in the third. Both Brown and Gasper hit two home runs in the game-one win. Brown's second of the day was a two-run shot in the fourth inning, while Gasper matched that with a two-run blast in the sixth inning.
Two of Wooster's 13 game-one runs came from outside the homers, and senior shortstop Tyler Chumita knocked both of them in. In the second, his RBI groundout plated senior right fielder Ben Hines, who walked, stole second, then stole third. Hines broke the leadoff home run streak in the fourth, but he did reach via an infield single. He scored on Chumita's RBI double.
Junior Owen Barnard (1-0) scored his first collegiate win. The right-hander struck out six, while allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits in four innings. Barnard's quick pick led to an early out, with the junior catching Joe Olsavsky leaning in the first inning. Pett eventually applied the tag after a lengthy 1-3-4-1-6-4 rundown.
Junior Ryan Sullivan pitched two scoreless innings of relief and first-year Thomas Gfell worked the seventh inning.
John Carroll scored in six of the seven innings in the nightcap. Wooster scored its first run of the game on a double play in the third inning, and at that point the Scots trailed 7-1.
In the fifth inning, Chumita lifted a sacrifice fly out to left field that plated Gbur, who doubled down the left field line and stole third. Chumita's RBI marked his 64th of the year, and he is now tied for the 10th-most in single-season history. Gbur on the other hand, scored for the 60th time this spring and that marked the 21st time a Wooster player has scored at least 60 times in a season.
Defensively, junior first baseman Dane Camphausen had the big play, with a huge stretch at first base to snag a one-hopper throw from Chumita on Erik Daugenti's shot up the middle in the seventh inning.
First-year Josh Livengood (0-1) took the loss after allowing five runs on four hits in 1 2/3 innings. Junior Steven Leicht was the lone of Wooster's six pitchers to keep John Carroll off the scoreboard.
Andrew Steele (3-2) collected the "staff day" win after allowing one run on two hits in three innings.
Gasper logged the big day for Wooster, going 4-for-6 with three RBI and two home runs.
Justin Hanley went 5-for-8 with four RBI on the day to lead John Carroll.
Next, Wooster (9-5 North Coast Athletic Conference) heads to Wittenberg University (24-9, 11-3 NCAC) for a 12 p.m. doubleheader with major postseason implications on Wednesday, May 4. Wittenberg is currently in second-place in the NCAC, while Wooster is in fourth-place with a one-game lead on Allegheny College and DePauw University. Only four teams make next week's NCAC Tournament in Chillicothe, Ohio.