Ohio Wesleyan 18, Earlham 8
Ohio Wesleyan 12, Earlham 1

April 4, 2009

Sophomore outfielder Zach Frentsos (Delaware/Hayes) lined a bases-loaded triple to cap a 9-run fifth inning that broke open the first game, and sophomore outfielder Eric Livingston (Delaware/Hayes) blasted a grand slam to put the Bishops ahead to stay in the nightcap as Ohio Wesleyan swept a North Coast Athletic Conference doubleheader from Earlham on Saturday in Richmond, Ind.

The Bishops raced to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of the opener as freshman second baseman James DiBiasio (Westlake) led off the game with a walk, moved to second on an infield out, took third on Frentsos's infield single, and scored on a single by junior catcher Steve Ruygrok (Centennial, Colo./Cherry Creek), with Frentsos crossing the plate on Quaker leftfielder Danny Bridge's error on the play. Senior third baseman Eric McComas (Beverly Hills, Mich./Birmingham Groves) followed with a double to score Ruygrok to make it 3-0.

Senior shortstop Logan Hronis (Rocky River/St. Edward) singled in a run in the second to increase the Bishop lead to 4-0.

Earlham closed to within 4-2 in the fourth on Andrew Morrical's 2-run single.

Ohio Wesleyan responded with its 9-run fifth, with sophomore second baseman Josh Gardner (Youngstown/Boardman) lining a 2-run single and Frentsos's bases-loaded triple highlighting the frame. Sophomore outfielder Scott Wise (Delaware/Hayes) scored twice during the inning and drove in a run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

The Quakers rallied by pushing across 5 runs in the sixth, with Jake Carr's 2-run double the big hit, but the Bishops answered with a 5-spot of their own, finished off by Livingston's RBI double.

Wise went 3-for-4 with 4 runs scored, Frentsos was 2-for-2 with 3 RBI, DiBiasio scored 3 runs, and Ruygrok, Hronis, and Gardner had 2 hits apiece for the Bishops.

Junior righthander Matthew Struble (Defiance/Edon) pitched the first 5.1 innings, allowing 7 hits and striking out 1 while walking 3, to collect the win.

Randy Kerns was the starting and losing pitcher for Earlham.

In the nightcap, it was the Quakers who took the first-inning lead. With 2 out, Carr singled, Alex Anderson reached on an error by freshman first baseman Tim Knezovich (Columbus/Briggs), and Adam Painter plated Carr with an infield single to give Earlham a 1-0 lead.

Freshman lefthander Mason Farr (West Lafayette, Ind.) shut Earlham down after that, scattering 4 hits over the next 5.0 innings.

Meanwhile, the Bishops took the lead on Livingston's grand slam in the second, and tacked on a run on Hronis's solo homer in the third.

Knezovich led off with a triple and scored on a Livingston single in the fourth, and Wise delivered an RBI single later in the inning before a 2-run double by Ruygrok and a Hronis RBI single extended the Ohio Wesleyan lead to 10-1.

Livingston finished the game at 2-for-3 with 5 RBI, while Wise, Ruygrok, and Hronis also had 2 hits apiece.

Farr struck out 8 and walked none over the first 6.0 innings to earn the mound decision.

Kevin Greve was the starting and losing pitcher for Earlham.

Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2