CLEVELAND – The No. 8 nationally-ranked Baldwin Wallace University baseball team traveled crosstown to face Case Western Reserve University in Nobby's Ballpark. The Yellow Jackets (17-4) fell to the Spartans (13-13) 12-7 in the non-conference single game.
BW was led by senior All-Mideast Region shortstop Alex Ludwick (Brunswick/Padua Franciscan) as he hit 3-5 with a triple and an RBI. Freshman second baseman Sean Kolenich (Parma/St. Edward) also hit 3-5 with two RBIs while junior outfielder Ryan Guggenheim (Solon) went 2-5 with two RBIs.
Scoring Plays
- CWRU earned the 2-0 jump on the Yellow Jackets on a sacrifice fly and an RBI single to right field in the bottom of the second
- BW responded in the top of the third, scoring four, highlighted by an RBI single by Ludwick, a two-run double to left field by Guggenheim and an RBI single by Kolenich, going up 4-2
- The Spartans tallied another five runs on a two-run single to centerfield, a score on a wild pitch, and another two-run single to go up 7-4 in the bottom of the fourth
- CWRU earned another run in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single to centerfield
- In the bottom of the sixth, the Spartans notched two more runs (10-4 CWRU)
- Ludwick, who reached on a triple, was batted in on a sacrifice fly by junior All-OAC first baseman Luke Vonderhaar (New Bremen)
- The Spartans batted in two more runs on a single to right field, making it 12-5 CWRU in the bottom of the seventh
- Junior left fielder Bryce Holt (Richfield/Revere) hit an RBI double to right field (12-6 Spartans) in the top of the eighth
- Another run for the Yellow Jackets on an RBI single by Kolenich wasn't enough as the Spartans went on to claim the 12-7 win
On the Mound
- Senior right hander Drew Wilson (Sagamore Hills/Cuyahoga Valley Community Christian) started on the mound for BW, pitching three innings, allowing six runs on six hits, tallying two strikeouts
- Senior right hander Scott Kirchhoff (Toledo/Sylvania Northview) relieved, throwing one inning, allowing one run on two hits
- Freshman right hander Seve Cantini (Roaming Shores/Jefferson Area) pitched the fifth and posted a strikeout while allowing two runs
- Senior right hander Steve Spidell (Mount Eaton/Waynedale) came in to pitch the sixth and allowed no runs and struck out one
- Sophomore right hander Kyle Maruna (Medina) and junior right hander Matt Sabin (Mentor) both pitched in the seventh and faced six batters combined
- Senior right hander Garrett Miller (McMurray, Pa.) threw in the eighth for a three-up, three-down inning for BW
BW returns to play on Saturday, April 9 as the Yellow Jackets travel to Columbus to face Capital University in an OAC doubleheader. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m., with the second game to follow on Clowson Field.