GRANVILLE, Ohio – North Coast Athletic Conference frontrunning Denison University, ranked 13th in this week's D3baseball.com/National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 25 Poll, backed up its first-place NCAC Preseason Coaches' Poll ranking with a sweep over co-second-place forecasted College of Wooster on Saturday afternoon at Big Red Baseball Field. Denison won game one 8-2 and took the nightcap 11-0.
Wooster (9-16, 4-4 NCAC) sophomore center fielder Leo Widtmann led off the third inning with a single up the middle and advanced to 90 feet from home when junior second baseman Eli Westrick pulled a single through the left side of the infield. Junior shortstop Grant Mitchell followed with a single through the right side, which plated Widtmann, and tied the opening affair at one.
Jake Welsch's fourth-inning sacrifice fly pulled Denison (21-6, 8-0 NCAC) ahead, and the Big Red took control from there, scoring in innings four, five, and six en route to opening a 6-1 lead. Westrick's run-scoring knock up the middle in the seventh inning had Wooster within 6-2, but Denison answered right back with two in the bottom of the frame, with the second run scoring on Josh Bohn's double down the left field line.
Wooster's second run of the game came with timely two-out hitting. First-year catcher Colin Leslie singled up the middle and moved into scoring position when Widtmann laced a single to left center. That turned things over to the top of the lineup, and Westrick came through with his team-leading 36th hit of the year.
Junior Corey Knauf (1-2) took the loss after allowing six runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings. Sophomore Alex Gerdenich pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Charlie Fleming ran his record to a conference-leading 6-1 after allowing two runs on nine hits in 6 2/3 innings. Fleming struck out eight Scots in the game, and the Big Red finished with 13 strikeouts after Will Rettig fanned five in his 2 1/3 innings.
Nick Falter, who improved to 4-0, was the storyline of Saturday's nightcap, firing a two-hit shutout. First-year center fielder John Panstares was the tough out for the Scots, getting both of Wooster's hits. Those came in the form of a two-out triple to the alley in left center in the second inning and a one-out single to center field in the fifth frame.
Denison got to senior Ryan Sullivan (2-2) for six runs over the first three innings, then extended the lead to 11-0 with a five-spot in the fourth. Senior Christian Johnston and first-year Cooper Baer kept the Big Red off the scoreboard over their final two trips to the dish.
Westrick finished with three hits on the day. Mitchell and Widtmann were the others in Wooster's lineup with multi-hit Saturdays.
Bohn went 4-for-6 with four RBI, two runs scored, and a double to lead Denison. Ari Fierer was another of the Big Red's big performers, going 4-for-7 with five runs scored and two RBI.
Wooster will look to get back on track on Sunday, April 16, with a 1 p.m. non-conference game at La Roche University (10-15).