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Ohio Wesleyan 7, Allegheny 3
Allegheny 7, Ohio Wesleyan 1 (5/4/2002)

Senior first baseman Drew Caravella (Columbus/Hilliard Davidson) belted a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Bishops over Allegheny in the first game of a North Coast Athletic Conference tournament semifinal doubleheader against Allegheny on Saturday at Littick Field.

Allegheny's Josh Sharpless scattered 6 hits and struck out 17 Bishops in the nightcap to keep the Gators alive in the series.

The teams will square off at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Littick Field in the deciding game of the series, with the winner advancing to play Wooster for the NCAC championship on Thursday and Friday at Thurman Munson Stadium in Canton.

Caravella broke a scoreless tie in the opener with a leadoff homer in the sixth, giving the Bishops a 1-0 lead.

That run looked like it might be enough, given the pitchers' duel that senior lefthander Matt Farmwald (Plain City/Jonathan Alder) and Allegheny's Keith Gonzales were crafting.

But Allegheny bounced back with 3 runs in the top of the seventh, putting together 4 straight hits after 2 were out to knock out Farmwald. Mark Minadeo started the uprising with a single to left center and Hector Urena followed with a flare that barely eluded a dive by Bishop rightfielder Joe Loudenslager (Hilliard/Darby). Bob Spithaler plated both runners with a double to right center and Brendan Porter followed with a single to score Spithaler.

Ohio Wesleyan cut the deficit to 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh as junior shortstop Joe Deck (Waverly) led off with a double down the leftfield line, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a single by junior outfielder Travis Falk (Bryan), but the Bishops stranded 2 runners in scoring position.

The Bishops tied the game in the eighth when sophomore third baseman Tyler Mott (Grove City) walked, moved to second when junior second baseman Matt Fortuna (Strongsville/St. Edward) was hit by a pitch and scored on a throwing error by Gator third baseman Ben Contrucci. Gonzales came back to strike out the next 2 hitters to strand 2 more Bishop runners in scoring position.

In the 10th, Deck led off with a single. Falk followed with a bunt, but Gonzales' throw to second was wide and Deck was safe. Senior outfielder Shaun Rice (Dublin/Columbus Watterson) followed with a sacrifice and Loudenslager walked to load the bases before Caravella sent a ball over the wall in right.

Junior righthander Shaun Burchett (Plain City/Jonathan Alder) worked the final 3.1 innings, allowing 1 hit, to pick up the win.

Allegheny wasted no time jumping on top in the nightcap. The Gators loaded the bases with nobody out in the first on a Minadeo single to right and a pair of throwing errors by Bishop righthander Curt Moenter (Delphos/St. John's). Minadeo scored on a wild pitch and Urena came home on a sacrifice fly by Kevin Hiles for a 2-0 lead.

The Gators added a run in the fourth on Minadeo's RBI ground out and another in the seventh when Minadeo yanked a home run down the leftfield line. Urena's 2-run single highlighted a 3-run Allegheny eighth inning.

Ohio Wesleyan got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth when Loudenslager walked, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Caravella's double.

Moenter was charged with the loss.