Posted: Mar 24, 2019
WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College baseball team concluded its weekend home stand with a doubleheader split of Hanover College, falling 6-3 in game one and taking game two 5-4 in come-from-behind fashion on Sunday.
In game one, the Panthers scored a run in the first and used home runs from both Mark Walkenhorst and Andrew Littlefield to plate three runs in the fourth. The Fightin' Quakers would get one run back in the bottom half on the inning on an RBI-double off the bat of Luke Kleindl. Neither team scored for two innings, but Wilmington continued to chip into the deficit in the seventh as two Hanover errors along with a single from Aaron Burns in the seventh.
Both teams scored a run in the eighth on RBI-hits from Ty Stover and Kleindl, but Hanover added another in the top of the ninth to lead by three runs. Wilmington got the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but a lineout and a grounded ended the game.
David Herrmann improved to 2-1 on the season with the win allowing two earned runs on four hits with 10 strikeouts. Justin Pope pitched the ninth for the one-out save. Bryant McCarty took the loss allowing four earned runs in seven hits in four innings pitched. Thomas Hueber allowed two earned runs in 4.1 innings in relief. Matt Oney came in to pitch the final two innings.
Kleindl finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs while Gage Bley also had a two-hit game. Littlefield finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored for Hanover.
In game two, Hanover struck first once again as the Panthers used two a Wilmington error and two hits to score two runs in the fourth. The Quakers answered the bottom of the fifth by using a two-out rally that consisted on RBI-hits from Mason Walker and Kyle Noble to tie the game 2-2.
Hanover nearly blew the game open in the sixth, but a fielder's choice with the bases loaded kept the game knotted at two. After neither team scored in the seventh, a four-hit inning from Hanover in the top of the eighth vaulted the visitors into a 4-2 lead.
Wilmington responded in the bottom of the inning as Noble and Antonio Miller both singled to open the frame. After a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt from Silvis moved the runners over, Bley singled to right field that plated both runs and tied the game. The Quakers were not done, however, as a Kleindl single that followed moved Bley into scoring position. After a strikeout, Jake Hyatt provide the game-winning hit, a double down the left field line that scored Bley. Hanover would get a base-runner on in the ninth, but he was gunned out by catcher Aaron Burns trying to steal second.
Jacob Griehwahn, Wilmington's starter, received a no-decision despite a quality start of two earned runs in 7.2 innings pitched. Adam Doerger earned the win by recording two outs while Jarett Trautman picked up a two-out save, his first of the season.
Garrett Zorb, Hanover's starter, also received a no-decision despite a quality start of one earned run in seven innings. George Dant took the loss allowing four hits and three earns runs in one third of an inning.
Hanover outhit Wilmington 14-11, but the Quakers' defense provided six double plays. Miller, Bley and Noble all had multi-hit games for Wilmington while Tyler Fitch led Hanover (8-7) with a 3-for-4 performance in defeat.
Wilmington (6-12) heads to Wittenberg University for a non-conference game slated to begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday evening.
