GRANVILLE, Ohio – The No. 12 nationally-ranked Baldwin Wallace University baseball team was on the road to face Allegheny (Pa.) College and No. 25 nationally-ranked Denison University in two non-conference games on Big Red Baseball Field. BW (28-9) took game one 8-1 as the team hit three homeruns and held the Gators (23-12) to one run on seven hits. The Yellow Jackets dropped game two to Big Red (25-8) 5-2.
Game 1 was led by junior All-OAC first baseman Luke Vonderhaar (New Bremen) as he hit two of the bombs, hitting 2-4 with five RBIs. Sophomore catcher Mark Mohnickey, Jr (North Ridgeville/St. Edward) also hit a homerun and went 2-4 from the plate with two runs. Senior All-OAC utility player Drew Wilson (Sagamore Hills/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy) hit 2-3 with two runs and earned the save on the mound.
Scoring Plays
- BW got the 1-0 jump as Vonderhaar homered down the left field line
- Allegheny matched the game in the top of the second at 1-1 as the Gators scored on a BW error, scoring their only run of the game
- In the bottom of the third, with the bases juiced, Vonderhaar again homered over left field to make it 5-1
- The Yellow Jackets extended their lead to 6-1 after a solo homerun over right field by Mohnickey
- In the bottom of the eighth, BW tallied two runs on RBI singles by Wilson and junior outfielder Ryan Guggenheim (Solon)
- The Gators remained scoreless after the second inning as BW claimed the 8-1 victory
On the Mound
- Junior right hander Aidan Bennett (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier) started, pitching four innings, allowing no earned runs on just three hits
- Junior right hander Matt Sabin (Mentor) earned the win (4-0), throwing two innings, and struck out one batter
- Wilson pitched three innings and earned his third save of the season, allowing no runs, and struck out five
Game 2 was led by Wilson as he tallied a run for BW. Junior catcher Cooper Harestad (Vandalia/Butler) hit 3-4 and Vonderhaar went 2-3.
Scoring Plays
- The Yellow Jackets got the 1-0 advantage in the first inning on an error by Denison
- Big Red went up 2-1 in the fifth on a two-run homerun down the left field line
- In the bottom of the sixth, Denison notched two more runs on RBI doubles (4-1 Big Red)
- BW scored a run on a sacrifice fly ball to right field by freshman infielder Noah English (Perrysburg) to score junior outfielder Andrew Parker (Toledo/Toledo Central Catholic)
- An RBI single by Big Red in the bottom of the inning extended their lead to 5-2, and Denison went on to win by a 5-2 final score
On the Mound
- Senior right hander Clay Anderson (Broadview Heights/Trinity) started on the mound, pitching 5.1 innings, allowing three runs
- Junior right hander Nik Baldis (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) threw for two outs and struck out one batter
- Senior right hander Maxwell Cebulak (Oakmont, Pa./Pittsburgh Central Catholic) pitched an inning, allowing one run and struck out two
- Freshman right hander Seve Cantini (Roaming Shores/Jefferson Area) also threw one inning, allowing just one hit
The Yellow Jackets return to play Friday, May 6 as they host Seniors' Day and an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader against John Carroll University for the OAC regular season finale. The first game will start at 1:00 p.m., with the second game to follow on Fisher Field.