A five-run outburst during the bottom of the seventh inning lifted The College of Wooster to a 7-5 victory over Kenyon College Friday night in game one of the North Coast Athletic Conference Championship Series, taking place at Carleton Davidson Stadium in Springfield, Ohio.

The best-of-three series continues Saturday, with opening pitch of game two scheduled for 1 p.m., followed by a third game, if necessary.

Trailing 4-1 going into the home half of the seventh, Wooster (34-8) loaded the bases with no outs on a leadoff single from Shane Swearingen (Hilliard, Ohio / Bishop Watterson) and two walks, forcing Kenyon (24-20) to go to its bullpen for the first time. The relief pitcher struck out the first batter he faced, only to see Stu Beath (St. Louis, Mo. / Avon Old Farms – Conn.) and Matt Groezinger (Columbus, Ohio / Upper Arlington) deliver  back-to-back RBI singles, with Groezinger's plating two to tie the game.

Then, Matthew Pierce (Oklahoma City, Okla. / Casady School) walked to load the bases again and Zack Vesco (Pickerington, Ohio / St. Charles Prep) came though with an RBI base knock, giving the Fighting Scots their first lead since it was 1-0. Vesco provided a couple of key hits during last weekend's NCAC Tournament semifinal series as well, highlighted by a two-out, two-run single which gave Wooster a 5-4 lead in its 6-4 win in the deciding game against Wabash College.

Before the seventh was over, Michael DeBord (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio / Woodridge) added a sacrifice fly, scoring Groezinger to make it a 6-4 lead for the Scots.

Wooster turned to Mark Miller (Convoy, Ohio / Crestview) on the mound for the eighth and ninth, and the Lords' Tom Hardacker greeted him by belting a solo shot to right field, cutting the deficit to one. Kenyon also proceeded to load the bases with two outs, but Miller got out of the jam by striking out the No. 2 hitter.

The Scots would add an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth and then Miller worked a perfect ninth for his fourth save of the season and 25th of his career.

The game had been a pitcher's duel between starters Justin McDowell (Willard, Ohio / Willard) and Tom Boucher through five innings. McDowell set down the Lords 1-2-3 each of the first three innings and had limited them to just two hits through five scoreless innings, while all Wooster could muster was a single run in the fifth when Boucher balked in DeBord, who had led off the frame with a double, from third.

In the sixth, Kenyon got to McDowell for three runs and added another in the seventh on a Jake Calcei home run, but it was all Scots from that point on.

Matt DeGrand (Stow, Ohio / St. Vincent-St. Mary), who came in for McDowell in the seventh, picked up the win (6-2), despite only facing two batters.

Offensively, Wooster was paced by Beath (2-for-4) and Swearingen (2-for-3) with two hits apiece, while the difference in the game may have been the 10 free passes from the Lords' pitching staff. The Scots finished with eight walks, two each for Sean Karpen (Venetia, Pa. / Peters Twp.), Groezinger, and Pierce, and two hit by pitches.

A win on Saturday would give Wooster its 12th NCAC championship.