(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – The Wilmington College baseball team picked up their first win of the season in Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play this afternoon in a split with the Capital University Comets. They won game one, 15-5 before dropping the second game, 4-2. Max Gildea had a huge first game for the Quakers, hitting a grand slam and driving in eight runs. The Quakers are now 3-24 overall this season and 1-11 in the OAC.

Game One – Wilmington defeats Capital, 15-5 (7 innings)

Max Gildea struck with a two-out base hit to left field in the first inning to plate the first Quakers run and make it 1-0. They followed with five in the second inning. Jared Lammert hit a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead. With two outs, Gildea came through again and smashed a grand slam over the left field fence for a 6-0 Quakers lead. They added one more in the third on a JP Donelan groundout for a 7-0 advantage.

The Comets cut it to 7-3 with three runs in the bottom of the third frame. Wilmington put the game out of reach with five more runs in the top of the sixth inning. The Quakers took advantage of Capital miscues, as all five runs were unearned, making it 12-3. Wilmington tacked on three more runs in the top of the seventh on a Gildea two-RBI double and Kyle Jennings RBI single.

Game One Notables

• Max Gildea was 3-4 in the game with eight RBI, three runs scored and one walk. He hit the first grand slam for the Quakers since Dominic Depa did it on February 27, 2022, against Mount St. Joseph University.
• Evan Kelsey went 3-3 with three runs scored.
• Kyle Jennings had two hits and two RBI.
• Also driving in a pair of runs were Jay Utterdyke and JP Donelan.
• Luke Chappie pitched four innings for the win on the mound, striking out two Comets in the process.

Game Two – Capital defeats Wilmington, 4-2

A two-out Kyle Jennings single into center field plated the first run of the game and gave Wilmington an early 1-0 lead in the second game. This score would hold until Capital tied the game in the bottom of the fifth at 1-1.

Wilmington retook the lead at 2-1 in the top of the eighth on a Capital throwing error. The Comets took the lead for good though in the bottom of the frame with three runs for a 4-2 advantage. Wilmington had a runner on base in the ninth, but couldn't make a comeback.

Game Two Notables

• Jared Lammert and Jay Utterdyke both had two hits to lead Wilmington.
• Kyle Jennings drove in one run.
• Carter Scheben walked twice.
• Lammert and Scheben scored the Quakers runs.
• Drew Tower threw 4.2 innings in his start on the mound and allowed just one run, while striking out four.

What's Up Next

Wilmington is back at Tewksbury-Delaney Field Saturday afternoon for an OAC doubleheader against the University of Mount Union Purple Raiders, beginning at 1:00 P.M.