BASEBALL – The Wilmington College baseball team wrapped up its 2023 season with a pair of narrow Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) loss at Otterbein University on Saturday. The Cardinals took game one 8-6 in come-from-behind fashion and won the nightcap 4-1.

Otterbein opened the day with a solo home run off the bat of Brayden Quincel and tagged WC starter Zach Shepherd for two more runs on consecutive sacrifice flies in the second. A scoreless third inning for both teams followed, but the WC offense woke up in the fourth. Caleb Scott and Dominic Depa opened the inning doubles, and Evan Eilerman singled home a run with a hit up the middle. A sacrifice fly from Carter Scheben followed, and a Cardinal error tied the game.

One inning later, Jared Lammert and Scott set the table for Eilerman, who launched a three-run home run to right field for his first collegiate home run. The lead wouldn't last long, however, as the hosts tallied three runs on four hits to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning.

Luke Chappie relieved Shepherd and got the Quakers out of the sixth inning, but the Cardinals got to Chappie in the seventh as the first three batters reached base including Jamie Perebzak, who doubled home both two runs. WC got runners on in each of the final three innings, but two double plays prevented any runs from scoring.

Sam Sethna improved to 7-0 for Otterbein with the win in relief while Andrew Nemec pitched around two hits for a save. Chappie took the loss for Wilmington while both starters – Shepherd and Luke Walker – received no decisions.

Quincel finished 4-for-4 for Otterbein with two doubles, a home run and four RBIs while Gavin Wolf was 3-for-4. Eilerman led the way for Wilmington with a 2-for-4 performance with the home run and four RBIs. Lammert, Depa and Jesse Reliford also had multi-hit games for WC.

The nightcap was a pitcher's dual for the first half of the game as Aaron Boster (WC) and Jackson Peloquin (OTT) held the offenses scoreless through four innings. In the top of the fifth, however, Evan Kelsey singled up the middle to open the frame and advanced to second on a balk. The junior advanced 90 feet on a lineout to right field and scored the game's first run as Tyler Shaneyfelt hit a sacrifice fly to center field.

Wilmington held that 1-0 lead into the sixth when it was Otterbein's turn to manufacture a run. A bunt single opened the inning, and after a sacrifice bunt advanced the runner into scoring position, Noah Sprowls tied the game with an RBI-single to center field. The Quakers failed to capitalize on a pair of walks in the seventh, and the hosts took control with a three-run seventh and rode that to victory.

Boster fell to 4-5 on the season allowing four earned runs on five hits with seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings while Trent Mendenhall recorded the final five outs. Peloquin received a no-decision quality start with reliever Braydon McColskey getting the victory in relief for Otterbein.

The Quakers out-hit the Cardinals 7-5 in the game with Scheben going 3-for-4. Five different Cardinals had a hit with Gavin Wolf and Gavin Thompson's being of the extra-base variety.

Wilmington finishes its 2023 campaign with a 16-23 overall record including a 4-14 mark in OAC contests.