GRANVILLE, Ohio – Fifth-ranked Denison University handed The College of Wooster baseball team its first North Coast Athletic Conference loss, then went on to sweep the Fighting Scots 17-0 and 7-1 on Friday at Big Red Field.
Wooster (18-13, 8-2 NCAC) broke through for its run in the fourth inning of game two. Senior left fielder Nick Pett lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to bring in first-year David Guldin. Guldin pinch ran after sophomore third baseman Zack Barienbrock reached on an infield error.
Junior Jack Spring (3-2) settled in come the fourth inning, setting Denison down in order. He did likewise in the fifth inning and got the first two outs of the sixth before Jake Blozy tripled. First-year relief pitcher James MacMillan was able get Wooster out of the jam, as Jack Lutte grounded out to end the inning. Prior to Spring settling in, Barienbrock got the Scots out of the second inning with an around-the-horn double play.
Denison plated two in the first inning. Andrew Fazio made it 4-0 with a two-run single to center in the bottom of the third. Denison added to its lead on sacrifice flies from Max Fishbein and Fazio in the seventh inning.
Peter Lemke's dominant season continued, as he improved to 6-0 after allowing a run on two hits in 6 1/3 innings. Michael Gray went the rest of the way for the save. Gray allowed one hit in 2 2/3 shutout innings.
In game one, Pett was Wooster's standout, finishing 2-for-3 with a pair of singles. Sophomore right-hander Ben Tarpey worked a scoreless inning of relief. First-year Dame Frayne (3-3) started and was charged with eight runs on eight hits in two innings.
Denison jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, tacked on six runs in the second, and four more in the third. Center fielder Erik Sundgren was 4-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Left fielder Eric Colaco, last year's national player of the year, drove in four and scored three times.
Nick Falter (8-0) struck out 10 in his six shutout innings.
Sundgren finished the Friday doubleheader 7-for-9 with three RBI and four runs scored.
Next, Wooster hosts Wabash College (21-9, 8-2 NCAC) at noon on Saturday, April 26.