BEREA, Ohio – The No. 9 nationally-ranked Baldwin Wallace University baseball team hosted an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader against Otterbein University on Fisher Field. BW (21-6, 7-3 OAC) was handed their first home loss of the season falling to the Cardinals (18-9, 7-3 OAC) 15-9 in game one. Despite dropping game one, BW smacked five homeruns to carry them to a statement 21-7 victory in game two.
Game 1 was led by senior All-OAC right fielder Drew Wilson (Sagamore Hills/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy) as he hit 4-5 with three runs. Junior centerfielder Vincent Capolupo (Kenmore, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate) went 3-5 with a run and two RBIs.
Scoring Plays
- BW earned the 2-0 jump on the Cardinals on an RBI single by senior All-Mideast Region shortstop Alex Ludwick (Brunswick/Padua Franciscan) and on an error by Otterbein in the bottom of the first
- On a wild pitch by BW, Otterbein tallied one run in the top of the second (2-1 BW)
- A sacrifice fly and an RBI single to right field put Otterbein up 3-2 in the top of the fourth
- The Yellow Jackets grabbed the 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice fly by senior left fielder Bijan Kamalipour (Frisco, Texas/Jesuit College Preparatory School) and an RBI single by senior catcher JT Mazula (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills)
- In the top of the sixth, the Cardinals earned six runs on an RBI single, a three-run homerun, another RBI single, and a wild pitch
- BW earned one in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI double by Capolupo
- Otterbein notched two more in the seventh on a two-run homerun (11-5 OTT)
- Three runs were scored by the Yellow Jackets in the bottom of the seventh, highlighted by a solo homerun to left center field by freshman third baseman Sean Kolenich (Parma/St. Edward) and a sacrifice fly by Capolupo (11-8 OTT)
- The Cardinals responded with three runs in the top of the eighth on a BW error and two RBI singles
- In the top of the ninth, Otterbein tallied one more run on an RBI single to left field
- BW earned one in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI triple by junior catcher Cooper Harestad (Vandalia/Butler) but it wasn't enough as the Cardinals went on to claim the game one win 15-9
On the Mound
- Junior right hander Dawson Gabe started on the mound and got the loss (3-2), pitching 5.2 innings, allowing seven earned runs on 12 hits, and struck out five batters
- Senior right hander Maxwell Cebulak relieved, throwing 1.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits
- Freshman right handers Kade Swisher (Berea/Berea-Midpark), Seve Cantini (Roaming Shores/Jefferson Area), Dylan Snyder (Stow/Archbishop Hoban), and senior right hander Clay Anderson (Broadview Heights/Trinity) also made appearances for BW
Game 2 was led by junior All-OAC first baseman Luke Vonderhaar (New Bremen) and sophomore catcher Mark Mohnickey, Jr (North Ridgeville/St. Edward) as they each tallied five RBIs. Mohnickey hit two deep and batted 3-5 from the plate. Ludwick, with his last at-bat of the contest, garnered the BW All-Time Career Triples record, previously set by Nolan Neuschaefer in his 2009-2013 career, as he now totals 19 in his career.
Scoring Plays
- Otterbein got the 1-0 jump in the top of second on a solo homerun over left field
- An RBI double by junior second baseman Guggenheim (Solon), an RBI single by junior designated hitter Bryce Holt (Richfield/Rever), a two-run homerun by Mohnickey, an RBI single by Wilson, and two two-run doubles by Vonderhaar and Kamalipour rounded out a huge 9-run half-inning for the Yellow Jackets in the second (9-1 BW)
- In the top of the third, the Cardinals earned two runs on a two-run single up the middle
- BW earned one in the bottom of the third on a solo homerun from Holt (10-3 BW)
- The Yellow Jackets tallied another on an RBI groundout in the bottom of the fourth
- Otterbein recorded one on an RBI single (11-4 BW)
- Six runs were scored in the bottom of the fifth, highlighted by two two-run homeruns by Vonderhaar and Kamalipour
- The Cardinals tallied two runs on an RBI double and a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth
- Another homerun by Mohnickey, this one down the right field line, notched three more runs for the Yellow Jackets (20-7 BW)
- Otterbein earned one in the top of the eighth on a sacrifice fly
- BW grabbed one more run in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI groundout by Vonderhaar to score Ludwick
On the Mound
- Junior right hander Aidan Bennett (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier) started on the mound for BW and threw three innings, allowing three runs, and totaled five strikeouts
- Junior right hander Matt Sabin (Mentor) grabbed the win (2-0), pitching four innings, allowing three runs, and tallied three strikeouts
- Senior right hander Steve Spidell (Mount Eaton/Waynedale) threw the last two innings and allowed a run on one hit
The Yellow Jackets are back in action on Wednesday, April 20 as the team hosts an OAC doubleheader against Ohio Northern University. First pitch of the first game is set for 1:00 p.m. on Fisher Field.