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Ohio Wesleyan 8, Wittenberg 5
Ohio Wesleyan 13, Wittenberg 11
April 14, 2008
![[ Brent Wilkins ]](../images/wilkins2.jpg)
Senior outfielder Brent Wilkins (Fairview Park/Fairview) singled in the game-winning run during a 4-run seventh inning rally that lifted Ohio Wesleyan over Wittenberg in the opener of a North Coast Athletic Conference West Division doubleheader on Monday in Springfield.
In the nightcap, freshman outfielder Zach Frentsos (Delaware/Hayes) drove in 3 runs as the Bishops built an 8-1 lead and withstood a furious Tiger rally to complete the sweep.
With the sweep, Ohio Wesleyan finishes its NCAC West schedule with a 10-6 record. Denison leads the West with an 8-4 mark and Wabash is 6-4 after splitting with Earlham on Monday night. The top 2 teams in the West Division standings will advance to the NCAC tournament beginning on Saturday, May 3.
The Bishops took a 1-0 lead in the opener when senior first baseman A.J. Dote (Columbus/Worthington Kilbourne) singled, stole second, moved to third on an infield out and scored on an error by Tiger shortstop Joel Puthoff.
Ohio Wesleyan scratched out another run in the fourth as junior shortstop Logan Hronis (Rocky River/St. Edward) and sophomore third baseman Eric McComas (Beverly Hills, Mich./Birmingham Groves) opened the inning with singles, with Hronis taking third on McComas's hit and scoring when Dote bounced into a double play.
Wittenberg closed to within 2-1 in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Matt Steinke, but the Bishops got that run back in the top of the fifth when senior second baseman Jerrell Johnson (Shaker Heights) reached on an error, moved to second on a sacrifice by sophomore catcher Steve Ruygrok (Centennial, Colo./Cherry Creek) and scored on a single by senior outfielder Joey McDaniel (Dublin/Scioto). Ohio Wesleyan added an unearned run in the sixth to go up 4-1.
The Tigers took the lead by stringing together 4 hits in the bottom of the sixth, tying the game on Tyler Christello's RBI single and taking the lead on a sacrifice fly by Ray Noe.
Trailing, 5-4, and down to their last out in the top of the seventh, the Bishops kept the game alive when Hronis lined a 2-out single and McComas followed with a single. Dote then reached on an error by Tiger first baseman Chris Dorka, with the tying run scoring on the play. Wilkins followed with a single to plate McComas with the go-ahead run and junior outfielder Matt Rhode (Port Clinton) provided some insurance with a 2-run double.
Senior righthander Xander Jones (Pomfret, Conn./Pomfret School), who got the final 2 outs of the sixth inning, picked up the win in relief. Senior righthander Sean Speed (Cincinnati/St. Xavier) pitched a scoreless seventh inning to post his first save of the season.
Darin Mumaw was the losing pitcher in relief for Wittenberg.
In the nightcap, Ohio Wesleyan took a 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the second and added RBI singles by Dote and Wilkins in the third to increase the margin to 3-0. Frentsos and Hronis smashed RBI doubles and McComas followed with an RBI single in the fourth to stretch the Bishop lead to 6-0.
Wittenberg got on the scoreboard courtesy of Steinke's RBI double in the bottom of the fourth, but Frentsos tripled home 2 runs in the top of the fifth to give Ohio Wesleyan an 8-1 lead.
The Tigers rallied in the fifth, loading the bases with none out and tallying 3 runs on a walk to Bush, a fielder's choice off the bat of Noe, and a wild pitch.
Ohio Wesleyan answered with 4 runs in the sixth, with Johnson contributing an RBI single, Ruygrok doubling in a run and McDaniel singling home a run to give the Bishops what seemed to be a comfortable 12-4 lead.
Wittenberg responded with 4 runs of its own in the bottom of the frame, collecting 4 hits and taking advantage of a pair of Bishop errors. Seth Cosby's RBI double and sacrifice flies by Puthoff and Fruhwirth helped the Tigers close to within 12-8.
Wilkins singled in an insurance run in the top of the seventh, allowing the Bishops to withstand RBI singles by Bush and Noe in the bottom of the frame.
Frentsos went 3-for-5 with 3 RBI for Ohio Wesleyan, while Wilkins was 3-for-4 with 2 RBI.
Sophomore righthander Matthew Struble (Defiance/Edon) pitched the first 5.0 innings to pick up the win.
Kory Winter was the starting and losing pitcher for Wittenberg.
