SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – Decisive victories with one win to each side continued to be the storyline of the week for The College of Wooster baseball team, which bounced back from a 13-3 game-one loss at Wittenberg University to take Wednesday's nightcap at Carleton Davidson Stadium 13-7.
Wooster (25-12, 10-6 North Coast Athletic Conference), which hit 25 wins for the 10th consecutive full season, scored in each of the first five innings in game two of the twin bill. The Scots were already ahead 2-0 when senior designated hitter Alex Gasper led off the second inning with a solo home run to left field. In the third inning, senior catcher Michael Thomas' single to center upped the lead to 4-0.
Next, Wooster broke the nightcap open, taking a commanding 7-0 lead in the fourth inning. Seniors Ben Gbur and Ben Hines reached on consecutive singles to start the frame, then Gbur, Wooster's center fielder, scored on senior shortstop Tyler Chumita's opposite-field RBI base knock. Two runs came in when junior third baseman Dean Brown reached on a fielding error.
Wooster opened a 10-2 lead in the seventh, thanks to Chumita's RBI fielder's choice and junior first baseman Dane Camphausen's sacrifice fly, and that is where the score stood until the Scots' three-run ninth inning. Chumita's RBI double plated sophomore second baseman Jack Henderson, who led off the ninth by reaching on a fielding miscue by Wittenberg (25-10, 12-4 NCAC) third baseman Ben Siebert. Of note, Chumita's RBI count on the year reached 68 on the double, and the education and mathematics major now has the eighth-most RBI in a season in program history. Next, Brown deposited a two-run single into right field.
Wittenberg made things interesting with a five-run last-chance, but the Tigers' rally stopped when catcher Cole Royer grounded out to Brown for the final out of the game.
Three double plays helped Wooster overcome 18 Wittenberg hits in game two. In the first, Hines, Wooster's right fielder, doubled up left fielder Gabe Stacy at first base on a fly out-throw out twin-killer. An inning later, Chumita started a six-four-three inning-ending two-for-one special, while in the eighth, Henderson and Camphausen teamed up to erase a leadoff single when first baseman Jack Siefert rolled into a double play. Thomas picked the defense up by throwing out center fielder Austin Morrow on a steal attempt in the third inning.
Sophomore Eli Westrick (5-1) kept the damage to a minimum, thanks to the defense behind him. The right-hander allowed two runs on 10 hits in six innings. Junior Christian Johnston, who was named to D3baseball.com's Team of the Week for games April 25-May 1 earlier in the day, went the rest of the way and allowed five runs on eight hits.
Michael Osmond failed to secure his first win of the year. Wittenberg's starter fell to 0-3 after allowing four runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Three Wittenberg home runs dented Wooster's chances in game one, as seven of the Tigers' 13 runs scored on them. Four came in on right fielder Connor O'Malley's fourth-inning grand slam, and that blast broke the game wide open at 9-1.
Wooster tried to claw its way back into the mix with two runs in the fifth inning. Hines drew a bases-loaded walk, then Chumita plated a run via a sacrifice fly.
Sophomore Corey Knauf (4-2) took the loss with eight runs in 3 2/3 innings on his line. Charlie Schafer (3-0) scored the win with 3 2/3 innings of hitless, shutout relief work in support of starter Joe Horoszko.
Chumita and Hines combined to go 9-for-14 with six RBI and six runs on the day. Wittenberg's Dylan Jackson, who hit one of the three game-one round-trippers, went 4-for-5 with three runs scored.
Wednesday's league-wide results set the stage for an exciting final weekend of conference play. Wooster, in a tie for fourth-place with DePauw University (19-15, 10-6 NCAC), hosts third-place Kenyon College (23-11, 11-5 NCAC) at noon on Saturday, May 7. DePauw hosts still-in-the-running Allegheny College (24-13, 9-7 NCAC) at noon on Saturday, while second-place Wittenberg, already in next week's four-team NCAC Tournament, is playing for positioning against Ohio Wesleyan University (9-25, 2-12 NCAC) on Sunday. No. 20 Denison University (26-8, 13-2 NCAC as of posting time) is a win away of locking up at least a share of the NCAC title, and could do so with a win in an ongoing game against Oberlin College (7-26, 3-12 NCAC). Prior to Saturday's game Wooster will recognize its nine-member senior class.