BEREA, Ohio -- The Baldwin Wallace University baseball team splits an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader today against rival the University of Mount Union at Heritage Field. The Yellow Jackets won the first game, 6-3, and lost the nightcap, 16-14.
BW is now 19-12 overall and 8-6 in the OAC and Mt. Union is 17-11 overall and 6-8 in the OAC.
In the first game, BW gained a 1-0 lead with a single tally in the bottom of the second inning and increased its lead to 4-0 with a three-run fourth. The Purple Raiders cut the deficit to 4-3 with one run in the fifth and two more in the sixth. The Yellow Jackets gained a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth to end the scoring.
At the plate for BW, junior All-OAC first baseman Kyle Chontos (Pickerington/ North) and senior All-OAC and Academic All-OAC third baseman Brad Gugliotta (Twinsburg) led the way. Chontos was 2-for-5 with a double and three runs batred-in (RBI), including a key pair in the bottom of the eighth. Gugliotta was 2-for-4 with a run scored, double and a RBI. Three other Yellow Jackets each had a base hit.
On the mound, sophomore righthander Alex Albright (North Royalton) started and pitched the first six innings and is now 4-2 overall. He allowed nine base hits and three runs (three earned), struck out two Purple Raider batters and walked one. He was relieved by senior Jon Capadona (North Royalton) who pitched one third of an inning, struck out one and walked one. Sophomore Brandon Cichocki (Walled Lake, Mich./ Central) replaced Capadona and pitched the final two and two-third innings, allowed just one hit and struck out four en route to his fifth save of the season.
In the second game, BW grabbed a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. Mt. Union came back to score four times in the top of the third to take a 4-2 lead. The Yellow Jackets tied it at 4-4 with a pair of runs in the third and took a 5-4 lead with another tally in the fourth. The Purple Raiders regained the lead in the 7th inning when they scored 11 runs on eight hits to make it 15-5. BW fought back by scoring five runs in the bottom half of the 7th inning and four in the 9th inning but could never regain the lead.
At the plate for BW, sophomore All-OAC second baseman Mark Zimmerman (Akron/ Green), junior right fielder Alex Green (Pickerington/North), senior left fielder Kory Gillissie (Parma/St. Ignatius), and sophomore designated hitter Hunter Handel (Akron/Green) led the Yellow Jackets offensively. Zimmerman was 4-for-5 with a double, three runs scored and three RBI. Green went 3-for-5 with a run scored and a RBI. Gillissie had two hits, a run scored, a stolen base and two RBI. Handel was 3-for-5 with a run scored and three RBI.
On the mound, junior Cory Waite (Willoughby/ South) started and pitched the first five innings. He left with a 5-4 lead. Waite allowed 10 base hits and four runs (two earned), struck out one Purple Raider and did not allow a walk. Freshman Logan Heffernan (Lebanon) came on in the sixth inning and allowed three runs in one inning. Four more BW pitchers came in during the 7th inning and sophomore pitcher Conner Murphy (Westford, Mass./Northeast) was able to get the final out of the 7th inning. He pitched two and two thirds innings while allowing one run on three base hits and striking out one.
BW is back in action on Monday, April 21 when the Yellow Jackets travel to University Circle to play non-league and cross-town rival Case Western Reserve University at 4:00 p.m. BW beat the No.21-ranked Spartans, 6-1, earlier this season in Berea.
FOR MORE BW SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest BW athletics information at www.bwyellowjackets.com and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.
