Baseball

CF Danny Pritz hit .480 (12-for-25) in the 2008 NCAC Tournament. He was one of five Big Red players named to the All-Tournament team.

Ohio Wesleyan senior Joey McDaniel scattered 10 hits over eight innings and allowed only two Denison runs to cross the plate as he led his Bishops to a 7-3 victory over the Big Red in the deciding game of the 2008 North Coast Athletic Conference Championship Series.

After Thursday night's series opening game was postponed due to rain, the conference made the decision to schedule a potential tripleheader on Friday.  The first pitch of game one was delivered at 11:07 a.m. and the victory went in Ohio Wesleyan's favor, 5-2.  Game two was won by Denison, 4-2, in a tidy two hours and fifteen minutes forcing a rubber match that was scheduled for 6 p.m.

McDaniel, who had been the team's designated hitter and was a combined 5-for-10 with three runs scored in the first two games, took the hill against Denison freshman Nick Smith (Mirror Lake, N.H./Holderness).  After three innings OWU held a 2-0 lead.  In the top of the fourth inning AJ Dote led off with a double down the line in right field.  Eric McComas would follow with a walk and down 0-2 in the count, Scott Wise dropped down a sacrifice bunt and would beat out the throw from Smith, loading the bases with no one out for Steve Ruygrok who would lift a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Dote.

Smith would leave the game trailing 3-0 and would be relieved by classmate Freddy Marino (Shaker Heights, Ohio/University School) who would give up consecutive RBI singles to McDaniel and Zach Frentsos, upping the deficit to 5-0 after three and a half innings.

Denison would score their first run in the bottom of the fifth after Kevin Teague (Fairfax Station, Va./St. Stephen's & St. Agnes) led off the inning with a single to center.  After a sacrifice by Andy Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) moved Teague to second, Danny Pritz (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) would send a slow chopper to shortstop.  OWU's Logan Hronis charged the grounder and sent a throw that sailed past the first baseman, scoring Teague and sending Pritz to second base where he would eventually be stranded by McDaniel.

Trailing 7-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Big Red had a two-out rally brewing by loading the bases off singles by Teague, Alex Horn (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) and Pritz.  That scoring threat would once again by quelled by McDaniel who forced Tim LaBolt (LaGrange, Ill./Lyons Twp.) into a 6-4, fielder choice.

In the eighth Denison senior Tony Christopher (Moreland Hills, Ohio/Chagrin Falls) would lace an RBI single through the right side but McDainiel, in his last inning of work, would get out of another bases loaded jam to put the Bishops three outs from their 10th conference title.

The ninth inning would see Denison send six batters to the plate and score their third run of the game off reliever Matthew Struble but that wouldn't be enough as the Bishops held on for a four-run victory and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III regional next week at Rose-Hulman in Terre Haute, Ind.

McDaniel allowed just one earned run and one walk in eight innings pitched while striking out three.  He was named the tournament's Most Valuable player after totaling seven base hits in the three-game series.

Smith was the losing pitcher for Denison as his record dipped to 3-3.  He allowed five earned runs off six hits while striking out two in 3.2 innings pitched.  Marino worked 2.1 innings, giving up two runs off six hits.  Game one starter James Clear (Hamilton, Ohio/Badin) made his final appearance on the mound in a Denison uniform.  He capped off his brilliant career with two sparkling innings of relief as he struck out four and did not allow a base runner.  The ninth inning was pitched by Aidan Lucas (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Twp.) who struck out the side for the Big Red.

Denison finished with 12 hits in game three and was led by Pritz, Justin Held, Teague and Andy Johnson, who all had two hits apiece.  Dote paced the Bishops with a 3-for-5, three RBI performance in the title game.

Earning All-Tournament team honors for the Big Red was game two winner JD Wyborny, Pritz (.480, 4 RBIs), Horn (.421, 4 RBIs), Park Smith (.381, 1 HR, 5 RBIs) and Christopher (.381, 7R, 4 RBIs).

Denison's season comes to a close with a 27-18 record.  This marked their fourth NCAC West Division Championship and their fourth trip to the NCAC Championship Series in school history.

Box Score