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Denison 7, Ohio Wesleyan 5
Ohio Wesleyan 18, Denison 5 (3/30/2002)

Senior shortstop Matt Fortuna (Strongsville/St. Edward) tied a school record to spark the Bishops to a win over Denison in the nightcap of a North Coast Athletic Conference West Division doubleheader on Saturday in Granville. Denison had rallied to edge the Bishops in the opener.

Fortuna blasted 3 doubles, tying the school record achieved 9 times previously. He drove in 5 runs in the game.

Fortuna's 2-run double highlighted a 6-run first inning. Sophomore third baseman Tyler Mott (Grove City), junior catcher Bo Burnett (Powell/Olentangy) and junior second baseman Joe Deck (Waverly) also plated runs in the frame.

Denison came back with 4 runs in the bottom of the first, with Cam Cowden's 2-run double the key blow, but the Bishops got one back in the fourth on a solo homer by senior outfielder Shaun Rice (Dublin/Columbus Watterson) before breaking the game open with 8 runs in the fifth, with the frame highlighted by another Fortuna 2-run double.

Senior first baseman Drew Caravella (Columbus/Hilliard Davidson) had 3 hits and drove in 3 runs, Deck collected 2 hits and 3 RBI and Rice had 2 hits and scored 3 runs.

Senior lefthander Matt Farmwald (Plain City/Jonathan Alder) went the distance on the hill for the Bishops, striking out 4 and walking none.

In the opener, Denison tied the game on Alex Nikolich's RBI groundout and went ahead on a run-scoring single by Matt Fadely during a 3-run sixth.

Denison had taken a 1-0 lead in the second, but Caravella tied the game with a leadoff homer in the fourth. The Big Red came back with 2 runs in the bottom of the frame, courtesy of RBI singles by Bill McKinley and Adam Mandel.

Ohio Wesleyan answered with 4 runs in the top of the fifth to take a 5-3 lead. With one out, Deck tripled and scored on a balk. Junior outfielder Joe Loudenslager (Hilliard/Darby) followed with a single and Rice doubled, and after an intentional walk to Caravella loaded the bases, Mott ripped a 2-run single to give the Bishops the lead. Junior catcher Mike Schultheis (Columbus/Watterson) followed with a base hit to score Caravella.

Denison closed to within 5-4 with a run in the bottom of the fifth before rallying in the sixth.

Junior righthander Curt Moenter (Delphos/St. John) worked the first 5.1 innings, striking out 7 and walking 2. Junior righthander Shaun Burchett (Plain City/Jonathan Alder), who relieved with the Bishops leading, 5-4, and a runner on third base, was charged with the loss.