WESTERVILLE, Ohio - The Wilmington College baseball team split an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) doubleheader at Otterbein University on Wednesday, winning game one 9-5 and falling in game two 6-5.
In game one, Caleb Scott opened the scoring with a two-run double to the opposite field scoring both Tyler Shaneyfelt and Evan Kelsey. The Cardinals would tie with two RBI-singles in the third, but a Jacob Kalt single in the fourth gave the visitors a 3-2 lead.
After Aaron Boster, Wilmington's starter, stranded a lead-off hit in the bottom of the fourth, the Quakers' offense blew the game wide open the top of the fifth. Wilmington batted around, and alongside two Otterbein errors, the visitors tallied four runs on six hits that included a two-RBI single to right center from Shaneyfelt.
Trailing 7-2, the Cardinals nearly tied the game in the seventh. A bases-loaded walk scored a run, and Kaleb Stines relieved Boster with one out. After an out, Otterbein's all-time hits leader Luke Barber, stepped up with the bases loaded. Fortunately for Wilmington, Barber flew out to center field, marking the only time the super senior was retired in the game.
The Quakers added an insurance run in the seventh, but a two-RBI hit from Luke Barber made the score 8-5 after eight complete. An Aaron Burns home run in the top of the ninth pushed the WC lead back to four runs and a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth from Stines sealed the deal.
Boster earned his fourth win of the season, allowing three earned runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings pitched while Stines got the 3.2-inning save by scattering three hits with two earned runs. For Otterbein, Logan Weber dipped to 4-2 on the season by allowing seven earned runs on 10 hits in 4.1 innings.
Wilmington pounded 17 hits as a team with three coming from both Scott and Zach Christensen, who scored three runs. Shaneyfelt finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored while Dominic Depa and Noah Martin also had multi-hit games.
Barber finished 3-of-4 for three RBIs for Otterbein in defeat.
In the nightcap, a pair of sacrifices – a bunt and a flyout – scored a run for Wilmington in the first, and Evan Kelsey gave the visitors a 3-0 lead with a two-RBI single to left center that scored Shaneyfelt and Martin. Trailing 3-0, Otterbein got those runs back, scoring two unearned in the bottom of the inning.
Both teams plate a single run in the fourth and sixth innings with Jared Lammert delivering both runs for WC on RBI-singles, but the Cardinals took a 6-5 lead in the seventh on a single through the right side off the bat of Sam Edgell. Wilmington would get a runner into scoring position in the eighth and ninth, but couldn't tie the game. In the ninth, the game-tying run in the form of pinch-runner Owen Baumann, was thrown out at home plate after Burns doubled down the left field line.
Wilmington used just one pitcher in game two as Chappie took the loss allowing four earned runs in 10 hits with four strikeouts in eight innings pitched. Otterbein, conversely, have five hurlers appear with Travis Burson taking the win by pitching three no-hit innings.
Shaneyfelt, Lammert and Martin tallied multi-hit games for Wilmington while Ryan Mitchell Noah Sprowls and Brayden Quincel entered the hit column twice for Otterbein.
The Quakers (13-16, 2-8 OAC) continue OAC play with a pair of contests against Capital University on Friday. First pitch from Tewksbury-Delaney Field is slated for 1 p.m.
