WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College baseball team split an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) twinbill with John Carroll University (JCU) at Tewksbury Delaney Field on Sunday, winning game one 11-10 in 10 innings and falling 15-5 in the nightcap that lasted seven innings. Thanks to a doubleheader sweep in University Heights on Saturday, the Fightin' Quakers took the series 3-1.
In game one, the Blue Streaks scored a single run on two hits, thanks in part to two stolen bases, in each of the first three innings. The Quakers countered with an unearned run in the second that was scored by Joe Legin, who reached base via a bunt single.
Trailing 3-1, Wilmington starter GlenAllen Anderson settled in, retiring JCU in order in the middle innings. During that time, the Quakers began to chip into the deficit. A two-out double from Jared Lammert scoring Corbin Craft gave the hosts a run in the fourth, and three hits by pitch alongside a heads-up tag up from Tyler Shaneyfelt on an infield pop out tied the game 3-3. An inning later, the Quakers took their first lead of the game. A walk and two more hit batters loaded the bases and Jesse Reliford cleared them with a double to right center.
Wilmington's lead didn't last long, however, as JCU struck for six runs on six hits with one Quaker error to flip the three-run deficit to a three-run lead. The Quakers tied it with a second consecutive three-run inning thanks to a sacrifice fly from Lammert and RBI-singles from Shaneyfelt and Owen Baumann.
Two scoreless innings followed, but JCU broke a 9-9 tie in the top of the 10th. Sam Heaton led off the inning with a single through the right side, and after Bennett Cavaretta executed a sacrifice bunt, Joe Olsavsky doubled to right center to give the Blue Streaks a 10-9 lead. Thomas Hueber, who relieved Anderson in the seventh, didn't allow any more damage has a flyout and strikeout ended the inning.
The Quakers duplicated JCU's 10th in the beginning of the bottom half of the inning as Shaneyfelt walked, Baumann executed a sacrifice bunt and Reliford drove a low pitch into center field to tie the game. A single from Scott and a hit by pitch followed to load the bases and put the winning run 90 feet away. JCU brought its infield in with just one out, and Legin walked off with a single passed the outstretched arm of Olsavksy at second base.
Hueber earned his first win of the season, pitching four innings of relief work and allowed two earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts. Jack Bennett took the loss for JCU allowing three earned runs in 3.1 innings of work. The Blue Streak pitching staff hit eight Quakers.
Offensively, the top three of Wilmington's lineup accounting for seven hits. Shaneyfelt finished 2-for-3 with a stolen base, an RBI and three runs scored while Reliford turned in a 3-for-4 performance with a double and four RBIs. Baumann and Legin also had multi-hit contests for the Quakers.
Olsavksy led JCU in defeat with a 4-for-5 performance with three runs driven in and two runs scored.
In the nightcap, the hosts got on the board with two runs in the first thanks in part of an RBI-double from Reliford. The Blue Streaks, determined to not be swept in the series, answered with a three-run second inning. JCU's offense would continue to press, scoring four in the fourth, one in the fifth and putting the game away with a seven-run seventh inning.
Aaron Boster, the Quakers' starter, took the loss allowing seven earned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts in 3.1 innings pitched. John Gavric, who relieved JCU starter Matthew Aukerman, was the most effective pitcher for both sides and earned the win. Gavric allowed a single hit in 3.1 innings with four strikeouts.
The bottom of the Blue Streak order did the most damage as Jacob Connery and Michael Anderson both had three hits and drove in multiple runs. Owenn Baumann and Scott had multi-hit games for the Quakers.
Wilmington (7-19, 6-16 OAC) will face the University of Mount Union in a four-game series next weekend.
