WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College baseball team came back from a 7-2 deficit after seven complete innings to earn a walk-off victory, 8-7, over Mount St. Joseph University at Tewksbury-Delaney Field on Wednesday evening. The win gives WC a four-game sweep of MSJ on the season.
The Lions tallied four hits in the first two innings, but were held to just a single run thanks to two double players induced by WC starter Austin Christman and turned by the Fightin' Quaker defense. MSJ kept coming, however, scoring three runs on three hits in the third that included a two-run home run to left center field off the bat of cleanup hitter Joshua Hagans. The visitors went up 5-0 on a towering solo home run from Tyrell Anderson in the top of the fifth, but the hosts got the run back on an RBI-single from Tyler Shaneyfelt in the bottom half of the inning. WC looked for more as a double steal put two runners in scoring position, but Evan Kelsey grounded out to end the inning.
The sixth looked to be the breakthrough inning for the Quakers as they loaded the bases with no outs, but a double play followed by a deep flyout to center field ended the threat with just a single run scored. MSJ added two in the seventh, and after Shaneyfelt was picked off at second base, the Lions led 7-2 after seven complete.
Mac Davis, who relieved Christman to begin the fifth inning, retired the Lions in order in the eighth. In the bottom half, Wilmington once again loaded the bases with no outs, but would score more than a run this time around. Dominic Depa singled home Kelsey, and thanks to a Lion error in the outfield, plated another run. After an MSJ pitching change, Caleb Scott scored on a wild pitch and Aaron Burns drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, pulling the hosts within a single run after eight complete.
Davis stranded a single in the top of the ninth, setting up the top of Wilmington's order in the bottom half. Shaneyfelt beat out a throw on a slow ball hit to third for an infield single, and after Kelsey put down a sacrifice bunt to move the runner into scoring position, Jared Lammert drew a walk on a full count. Scott singled to left scoring Shaneyfelt and Depa delivered a walk-off hit up the middle as Lammert beat out the throw to home plate.
MSJ used six different pitchers in the game with Evan Webb, the final one, dipping to 1-3 on the season having pitched the final 1.1 innings. Davis earned his first win of the year, scattering eight hits over 68 pitches in five innings with three strikeouts.
Offensively, Shaneyfelt, Lammert, Scott and Depa had multi-hit games for WC with Depa driving in two runs. Shaneyfelt also swiped two bases, upping his Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) best mark to 25 on the season. Jake Sanders and Anton Mere both had three hits for MSJ in defeat.
Wilmington (18-17) hosts Muskingum University for a Senior Day twinbill at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
