Ohio Wesleyan 6, Wooster 3
Ohio Wesleyan 14, Wooster 6

May 4, 2008

Senior first baseman A.J. Dote (Columbus/Worthington Kilbourne), freshman outfielder Zach Frentsos (Delaware/Hayes) and freshman outfielder Scott Wise (Delaware/Hayes) combined to drive in 10 runs as Ohio Wesleyan completed a sweep of Wooster in a North Coast Athletic Conference tournament semifinal doubleheader on Sunday in Wooster.

In the opener, senior outfielder Joey McDaniel (Dublin/Scioto) scored 2 runs and picked up the save to help the Bishops to the win, forcing the deciding third game of the series.

The Sunday sweep gave the Bishops the series, 2 games to 1. Ohio Wesleyan advances to the NCAC tournament final to face Denison on Thursday and Friday in Granville.

The semifinal series against Wooster unfolded much the same way as last year's NCAC tournament final between the teams -- with Wooster winning the first game by a large margin, then Ohio Wesleyan coming back to build leads and hold off the potent Scot offense to sweep the second and third games.

Ohio Wesleyan jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first inning of Sunday's opener. McDaniel led off with a double, took third on a Frentsos sacrifice and scored on a passed ball. Junior shortstop Logan Hronis (Rocky River/St. Edward) followed with a walk, and one out later, Dote singled and sophomore third baseman Eric McComas (Beverly Hills, Mich./Birmingham Groves) followed with a single to score Hronis. Sophomore catcher Steve Ruygrok (Centennial, Colo./Cherry Creek) walked to load the bases. Wise then struck out, but the ball eluded Wooster catcher Shane Swearingen, and his throw was wild, allowing Dote and McComas to score.

Wooster chipped away at the deficit, getting solo homers from Sean Karpen in the third and Matt Groezinger in the fourth, and making it 4-3 in the fifth on Groezinger's sacrifice fly.

Hronis and senior outfielder Brent Wilkins (Fairview Park/Fairview) provided some insurance with RBI singles in the sixth, and the Bishops turned double plays behind McDaniel in the eighth and ninth to protect the lead.

McDaniel and Wilkins had 2 hits apiece for Ohio Wesleyan.

McDaniel also finished the game with 2.1 innings of hitless relief to notch his first save of the season. Senior righthander Xander Jones (Pomfret, Conn./Pomfret School) pitched the first 6.2 innings, allowing 4 hits, to pick up the win.

In the nightcap, the Bishops again scored first. Dote led off the second with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice by McComas, took third on Ruygrok's single and scored on Wise's infield out.

Wooster answered with a leadoff homer by Pat Christensen and an RBI single by Matthew Johnson for a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second.

Ohio Wesleyan took the lead for good in the top of the third as Frentsos walked, Hronis singled and Dote smashed a 3-run homer to right center.

The Fighting Scots closed to within 4-3 on Jake Sankal's leadoff homer in the bottom of the third.

The Bishops answered with 2 runs in the top of the fourth, with Johnson and McDaniel collecting one-out hits before Frentsos sliced a double down the leftfield line to plate both runners.

Ohio Wesleyan added 3 more runs in the sixth, with Frentsos collecting a 2-run single and Hronis adding a sacrifice fly later in the inning.

Wooster cut the deficit to 9-5 on Dan Skulina's 2-run homer in the bottom of the sixth, and the Scots would go on to load the bases with one out, but Karpen lined into an inning-ending double play to end that threat.

The Bishops put the game out of reach with 5 runs in the top of the ninth, with McComas singling in a run and Wise and Johnson each delivering a 2-run single.

Frentsos went 3-for-4 with 4 RBI, while Dote was 4-for-5 with 3 RBI and Wise went 1-for-5 with 3 RBI.

McDaniel started on the mound for the Bishops, working 3.0 innings and allowing 5 hits. Sophomore righthander Matthew Struble (Defiance/Edon) pitched the final 6.0 innings, allowing 5 hits while striking out 7 and walking 6.

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2