Baseball: OWU hands Denison first NCAC losses in twinbill sweep

Ohio Wesleyan University handed the Denison baseball team their first losses in North Coast Athletic Conference play with a doubleheader sweep at Littick Field in Delaware, Ohio. A four-run fourth propelled the Bishops to a 9-5 victory in the opener and another four tallies in the fifth of game two lifted OWU to a 13-11 win.

Holding onto a 2-1 lead, the Battling Bishops' Steve Ruygrok hit a solo home run to spark a four-run Ohio Wesleyan. DU was able to trim the margin to 7-5 on a two-run bomb by senior Andy Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) in the sixth, but the Bishops pushed two more across in the bottom of the inning to secure the victory.

Sophomore Danny Pritz (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a run scored while Johnson finished with two hits, two RBIs and two runs. Juniors Aidan Lucas (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) and Park Smith (Warren, N.J./The Pingry School) both had their hitting streaks snapped after 0-for-4 performances. Lucas was riding a 16-game streak into Saturday while Park had logged a base hit in the last 14 contests. Sophomore Nick Smith (Mirror Lake, N.H./Holderness School) pitched all six innings allowing nine runs (six earned) on 12 hits with three strikeouts.

After holding an early 3-2 lead after an inning in game two, OWU quickly tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the second inning. The two squads matched runs in both the third and fourth innings. Denison took a 10-9 lead in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by senior Justin Held (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson), but the Battling Bishops erupted for their third four-run inning of the twinbill to take a 13-10 advantage. The Big Red plated a run in the sixth but it wasn't enough as they dropped their second consecutive league game.

After having his hitting streak snapped in the first game, Lucas went a perfect 3-for-3 with a home run, five RBIs and three runs. Sophomore Kevin Teague (Fairfax Station, Va./St. Stephens and St. Agnes) was 4-for-4 with a double and two RBIs while rookie Evan Nicholson (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Tyler Nicholson (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) suffered the loss in 1.1 innings of relief work. Nicholson allowed two runs on four hits with one K. Freddy Marino (Shaker Heights, Ohio/University School) got the start and pitched three innings giving up five runs (three earned) on just two hits with four strikeouts and six walks.

Denison falls to 16-11 overall and 6-2 in the NCAC West Division while OWU improves to 17-11 and 7-3 in the west. The Big Red return to action on Monday when they complete their four-game series at Ohio Wesleyan. First pitch from Delaware is slated for 12 p.m.

Game One Box [htm]

Game Two Box [htm]