FT. MYERS, FL – The top of Wilmington's lineup did the majority of the damage Sunday as the Fightin' Quakers split a doubleheader with Elms, winning the opener, 4-3, in eight innings and dropping the nightcap, 6-5.
The top four hitters in the WC lineup combined for 14 of the team's 19 hits in the doubleheader.
GAME ONE: WILMINGTON 4, ELMS 3
Senior Roenick Whitney (Goshen, OH/Goshen) picked the perfect time for his first career opposite field homerun. With the score tied in the top of the eighth inning, Whitney lined a 3-2 pitch over the right field fence to give WC the 4-2 lead.
It helped erase some of the frustration of the missed opportunities in the sixth and seventh innings. In both of those frames, WC had a runner in scoring position with less than two outs. Whitney started the sixth with a double and moved to third on sacrifice bunt by junior Alec Hutzelman (Centerville, OH/Centerville). But back-to-back strikeouts left him stranded.
Junior Zach Docter (Hillsboro, OH/White Oak) led off the seventh by getting hit, and moved to second on Daniel Hayes' (Beavercreek, OH/Beavercreek) sacrifice bunt. However, a ground out and fly out left him stranded.
Wilmington took an early lead thanks to a two-run single by junior Clay Cleaver (Pleasant Plain, OH/Little Miami), scoring freshman Jake Robinson (Westerville, OH/South) and junior Corey Walker (Hillsboro, OH/Hillsboro).
Speaking of Walker, he was dealing on the mound for Wilmington. He had allowed just one hit with five strikeouts through the first four innings.
He ran into some self-inflicted trouble in the fifth inning. A leadoff walk and one-out hit batter gave Elms some energy, and a balk with two outs gave the Blazers two-runners in scoring position. Unfortunately, the extra base proved crucial as a two-out, two-run seeing-eye single knotted the game at two. He surrendered two earned runs over five innings on just two hits and seven strikeouts.
Junior Billy Foster (Xenia, OH/Xenia) hurled an inning of scoreless relief, and sophomore Samuel Cranor (Cincinnati, OH/LaSalle) pitched the final two innings for the win. Cranor allowed a run on three hits in his two innings.
"The pitching was really terrific in the first game," said Wilmington head Dan Cleaver. "Corey was lights out. Billy was Billy; that is what he has been like his whole career. He comes into gives us a good inning, maybe two, and Sammy is the same way. They came in, held the fort and gave us a chance to win."
Robinson, Walker, Cleaver and Whitney all went 2-for-4 and a run scored, while Cleaver and Whitney had two RBI each. Junior Max Ramsey (Waynesville, OH/Waynesville) was also 2-for-4 in the game.
GAME TWO: ELMS 6, WILMINGTON 5
Three straight two-out singles led to the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning as the Blazers secured a split.
Wilmington took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, only to have EC triple them up with three runs in the second. Unfazed, the Fightin' Quakers answered with a four-spot of their own in the bottom of the second.
"They go up 3-1, and last year, we lose that game 9-1," said Cleaver. "Instead, we come up with four runs to take a 5-3 lead. That stuff didn't happen before. We are better than we used to be."
Freshman Kyle Short (Trenton, OH/Edgewood) registered his first collegiate hit and RBI to kick off the scoring. A double by Walker brought home one run and a single by Cleaver plated two more.
Elms quickly answered in the top half of the ensuing inning to knot the game at five, which is stayed until the seventh.
Cleaver finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and Robinson was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Junior Derek Peters (Fayetteville, OH/Fayetteville) was 2-for-3 with a run scored for WC.
For the second straight game, Cranor (1-1) was the pitcher of record – taking the loss after allowing a run in the seventh. Junior Luke Matthews (Centerville, OH/Centerville) started for Wilmington, allowing five runs on four hits with two walks in just two innings.
Junior Tyler Schrock (Waynesville, OH/Waynesville) didn't allow a run in four innings of work.
Wilmington (1-2) faces Emerson 9 a.m. Monday in a non-conference doubleheader.
