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Ohio Wesleyan 11, Wittenberg 7
Ohio Wesleyan 15, Wittenberg 5 (4/28/2002)

Junior catcher Bo Burnett (Powell/Olentangy) hit a 2-run double to highlight a 4-run eighth-inning uprising in the completion of a suspended game and junior shortstop Joe Deck (Waverly) drove in 5 runs to spark the Bishop offense in the regularly scheduled contest as Ohio Wesleyan swept a pair of North Coast Athletic Conference West Division games on Sunday in Springfield.

The wins leave Ohio Wesleyan and Wittenberg tied atop the NCAC West Division standings with records of 10-2 in divisional play, with Ohio Wesleyan taking the No. 1 seed by winning 2 of 3 games in the series against Wittenberg. Ohio Wesleyan will host East Division runner-up Allegheny in NCAC tournament semifinal play on Saturday and Sunday, while Wittenberg will visit East Division champion Wooster.

The Bishops wasted no time in taking a 1-0 lead in what was originally the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader when senior outfielder Shaun Rice (Dublin/Columbus Watterson) led off the game with a home run.

Senior first baseman Drew Caravella (Columbus/Hilliard Davidson) made it 5-0 with a grand slam in the third inning, but Wittenberg got all 4 runs back in the bottom of the frame, with Ryan Born hitting a 2-run single and Nate Williams following with an RBI single.

Lance Dill and Bryan Burke had RBI singles in the fourth to give Wittenberg a 6-5 lead, but the Bishops came back to tie it in the fifth on Burnett's RBI single.

The game was suspended because of rain in the middle of the sixth inning with the score tied at 6-6 and resumed on Sunday.

Caravella led off the top of the seventh with a home run for a 7-6 Ohio Wesleyan lead, but the Tigers sent the game into extra innings when Burke hit a 1-out home run.

Ohio Wesleyan came back with 4 runs in the eighth as Deck drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a sacrifice by junior outfielder Travis Falk (Bryan) and scored on an error by Tiger second baseman Karl Friedhoff. Caravella followed with a single and Burnett then delivered a 2-run double. Sophomore third baseman Tyler Mott (Grove City) followed with a run-scoring single for an 11-7 lead and then retired the Tigers in order in the bottom of the eighth to pick up the win.

Burke opened the scoring in the regularly-scheduled game with a solo homer in the bottom of the first, but Ohio Wesleyan went ahead to stay with 2 runs in the second. Junior second baseman Matt Fortuna (Strongsville/St. Edward) drove in a run with a bases-loaded fielder's choice and Deck singled in the go-ahead run.

Fortuna and Deck again drove in runs in the fourth inning, Fortuna with a sacrifice fly and Deck with another single. Junior outfielder Joe Loudenslager (Hilliard/Darby) followed with a 2-run single to cap a 4-run uprising.

Ohio Wesleyan added 4 more runs in the fifth as Burnett led off with a homer, Deck lined a 2-run double and Falk hit an RBI double.

Wittenberg got 4 runs back in the bottom of the fifth, with a 2-run homer by Dill and a solo shot by Burke the key hits, but Ohio Wesleyan scored 3 times in the seventh for the 15-5 final margin.

Mott started the game and junior righthander Shaun Burchett (Plain City/Jonathan Alder) picked up the win with 4.1 innings of scoreless relief.