Ohio Wesleyan 8, Denison 2

May 8, 2003

Senior first baseman Bo Burnett (Powell/Olentangy) put the Bishops ahead to stay with a 2-run homer and junior righthander Tyler Mott (Grove City) pitched a 4-hitter and delivered a key bases-loaded double to lead Ohio Wesleyan over Denison in the first game of the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament finals on Thursday at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium in Canton.

Ohio Wesleyan and Denison will play Game 2 at 11 a.m. on Friday. An Ohio Wesleyan win in Game 2 would give the Bishops the NCAC championship and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. If Denison wins Game 2, the teams will play a deciding third game a half-hour after the conclusion of Game 2.

Denison touched Mott for a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Brian Regan led off the game with a single through the left side, moved to second on a sacrifice by A.J. Jezierski and scored when Adam Mandel lofted a double to right field.

Mott settled down after that, retiring 14 batters in a row during one stretch. Denison starter Cam Cowden was pitching just as well, blanking Ohio Wesleyan on 2 hits -- both by Burnett -- through the first 5.0 innings.

The Bishops got to Cowden in the bottom of the sixth. Senior outfielder Joe Loudenslager (Hilliard/Darby) led off with a walk and moved to second on Mott's sacrifice. Burnett followed with a homer to left field, giving Ohio Wesleyan a 2-1 lead. Senior third baseman Mark Wherry (Dublin/Scioto) followed with a walk, moved to second on a sacrifice by senior outfielder Travis Falk (Bryan) and scored on a single by junior outfielder Mike Albert (Shelby).

Denison got a run back in the top of the seventh, with Drew Shamrock leading off with a ball down the third base line that took a bad hop and caromed away from Wherry. Lee Fischer followed with a grounder to second that moved Shamrock over to third, and Brian Mulcahy plated Shamrock with a sacrifice fly.

Ohio Wesleyan added 4 runs in the bottom of the inning. Senior shortstop Joe Deck (Waverly) led off with a single, junior second baseman Brad Whitman (Canfield) kubed a single off Cowden and Loudenslager walked to load the bases. Mott followed with a double to right center that cleared the bases for a 6-1 Bishop lead, and after Wherry reached on an infield single, Falk grounded out to first to plate another run.

The Bishops wrapped up the scoring in the eighth when Deck and junior catcher Mike Schultheis (Columbus/Watterson) executed a double steal, with Schultheis scoring on the play.

Mott allowed 4 hits, struck out 7 and walked none in raising his record to 11-0 this season.

Cowden, who allowed 7 hits over 6-plus innings, was charged with the loss.

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