Ben Blotner
Senior Sports Writer
The Fighting Scots baseball team continued its strong season with a pair of 15-1 shellackings of Ohio Wesleyan University on Saturday, April 6 at Art Murray Field.
“Overall, I thought the team played really solid in all phases of the game,” said Head Coach Tim Pettorini. “We pitched very well, hit the ball well and played good defense. I was very pleased with our effort.”
In their first 14-run victory of the day, the Scots jumped all over Wesleyan starter Linden Hoover ’22 for five runs in the first inning. Noah Clement ’21 got the rally started for Wooster with a one-out walk. He advanced to third on a double by Harry Witwer-Dukes ’20 before a walk to Dan Harwood ’20 loaded the bases. Garrett Crum ’19 put the first run on the board with a sacrifice fly, then Dan Gail ’20 drew the third free pass of the inning to reload the bases. Nick Strausbaugh ’20 cleared them with a booming grand slam to open up a 5-0 Wooster lead.
Things didn’t get much better after that for Hoover and the Bishops. Clement’s RBI double made it 6-0 in the second. After Wesleyan got on the board in the top of the fourth, Jake Stuursma ’19 got the run right back with a solo shot in the bottom of the inning. In the fifth, Crum launched the Scots’ third dinger of the day, a two-run shot that pushed the lead to 9-1 and chased Hoover.
Wooster continued mashing against the Bishops’ bullpen, as Ben Gbur ’s ’22 RBI single made it 10-1 and the Scots put up five more runs in the sixth. Harwood’s RBI double drove in Clement, then Crum singled home two more. Gail followed by smashing the fourth Wooster long ball of the game. The two-run blast capped Wooster’s scoring, which was more than enough, as the Scots won in seven innings via the mercy rule. Chandler Dippman ’19 earned the win as he shined on the mound, allowing just one run on five hits while throwing the full seven innings.
“It was a fun team win. We got a lot of different guys in the game and took care of business just like we should have,” said Christian Julius ’20.
The doubleheader’s second game was remarkably similar to the first, as Wooster’s dominance continued. In another first inning that featured three walks from a Wesleyan starter, Harwood’s RBI groundout and Gail’s sac fly made it 2-0 Wooster against Justin Grubb ’20. Wesleyan cracked the scoreboard early, but Wooster once again responded in the bottom of the inning, putting up two more runs on Dippman’s solo bomb and Witwer-Dukes’ RBI single.
The third and fourth innings were when it all fell apart for the Bishops. After having two out and nobody on in the third, the Scots blew the game open with a four-run rally. Gbur started it with a triple that knocked out Grubb, and he scored on Stuursma’s RBI double. A walk to Clement put two on for Witwer-Dukes, who got his second RBI knock. Harwood then hit a two- run double to make it an 8-1 Scots lead.
Wooster’s relentless attack continued in the fourth. Gail led off with a double before scoring on Dippman’s infield single. Gbur’s single and Stuursma’s walk loaded the bases for Clement, who drew a bases-loaded walk to end Wesleyan reliever Ethan Soderna ’21’s disastrous day. Witwer-Dukes drove in a run on a fielder’s choice, then Crum’s two-run single made it 13-1. Harrison Walls ’19 plated the final run of the inning with an RBI single.
The Scots tacked on one more run on an Ethan Myers ’19 RBI double, giving them a 15-1 final margin identical to the first game. This time, the pitching star was Andrew Hill ’21, who allowed just one run on three hits while punching out six. Hill credited his offense’s performance for helping him relax.
“I think my success on the mound that day was directly attributed to our offense being able to create long half innings against the OWU pitching staff,” he said. “This allowed me, in the back of the dugout, to meditate, visualize and mentally correct the negatives and emphasize the positives of the previous inning. [I was] hoping that when I went to start the next inning, I would be a better, more competitive pitcher than the version of me they faced before.”
Wooster won their ninth straight game with a 6-4, 11-inning victory at La Roche College on Sunday, April 14. Their next doubleheader was played at Art Murray field against Wabash College on Monday, April 13. The Scots swept the Little Giants with scores of 10-0 and 8-7.
(Photo from Wooster Athletics)