Chloe Burdette
Contributing Writer
As the old saying goes, in just about every baseball game, something happens that you’ve rarely seen before. However, in Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader vs. Ohio Wesleyan, the script wasn’t all that unfamiliar. A close game, tied 2-2 after six innings, turned in the seventh with some clutch hitting as the Scots broke open the game with four runs and waltzed home with a 7-2 victory to move to 5-0 in the NCAC. The something you’ve rarely seen before was waiting in Game 2.
In the nightcap of the doubleheader, Wooster got off to a great start with a four-run first inning, but that was just the beginning of the onslaught. Six more runs in the second, followed by four in the third and 10 more in the fourth, gave the Scots a 24-0 lead after four innings. A single tally in the fifth plus nine more in the seventh brought the winning total to 34 runs, tying the program record for a single game that was set in 1986. Ohio Wesleyan broke through for one in the ninth inning to avoid the shutout, but the Scots routed the Bishops 34-1. The win puts the Scots at 15-3 overall and 6-0 in the NCAC.
While every player in the lineup produced, first baseman Garrett Crum ’19 led the way with four hits, including a home run, four runs scored and seven runs batted in. Classmate and shortstop Michael Wielansky ’19 also played a major role as he went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a home run, scoring four times while driving in four. Overall, Wooster had 14 players record a hit, score a run and drive in a run, a feat that, while not known to be a record, is an impressive display of program depth. The beneficiary of all this run support was Chandler Dippman ’19, who threw five scoreless innings on his way to winning his third game of the season with no losses.
When speaking on the impressive win, Noah Clement ’21 couldn’t have been more excited. “We were just having fun,” Clement said. “Everybody was relaxed, joking around and just having a good time. We were just playing good, simple baseball.” Clement contributed to the win by drilling a two-out double to center field for the Scots’ 31st hit of the game. The hit marked a score tied with a 1986 game against Heidelberg University for the most in Wooster’s program history.
In contrast to Game 2, Game 1 had a classic pitchers’ duel feel for the better part of the game. Wooster’s Nanak Saran ’18 and Ohio Wesleyan’s Chris Punka ’20 were matched up in a close game. Saran got the win, going seven innings, scattering seven hits, giving up only two runs and striking out six, pushing his season record to 4-1. The relief corps of Max Lackner ’20, Wyatt Linde ’19 and James Usher ’18 combined to take care of the last two innings giving up no runs on three hits to lock up the Game 1 win.
The Scots scuffled offensively for the first five innings, trailing 2-0. In the top of the sixth, a two-out throwing error followed by a Dan Harwood ’20 home run tied the game at 2-2. The home run was Harwood’s league-leading eighth of the season.
The momentum continued in the seventh inning as the first batter of the inning, right fielder Drew Tornow ’18 gave the Scots a 3-2 lead with his third homer of the season. Wooster added on three more runs in the inning. Two of the RBIs came off the bat of Jake Fling ’18, whose triple allowed Wooster to take a 6-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh. Tornow and Nick Strausbaugh ’19 each contributed three hits in the game. The Fighting Scots ended up finishing the game on top by a score of 7-2.
The Fighting Scots will play a talented team from Thiel College within the week and a strong Wabash team on the weekend of April 14. Wooster has a strong team with potential to break even more records not only individually, but also as a team. Go Scots!