PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – The Baldwin Wallace University baseball team faced Sewanee (Tenn.): The University of the South on Friday, March 11 and Arcadia (Mass.) University on Saturday, March 12 in the Snowbird Classic. Big bats and seven homeruns over the two days surged the Yellow Jackets past Sewanee 23-3 and past Arcadia 8-2. BW improves to an undefeated 10-0 record to start the season.
Game 1 vs. Sewanee (2-11)
BW was led by the homerun hitters today: junior All-OAC first baseman Luke Vonderhaar (New Bremen) with two bombs, senior All-Mideast Region shortshop Alex Ludwick (Brunswick/Padua Franciscan), freshman second baseman Sean Kolenich (Parma/St. Edward), and senior Bijan Kamalipour (Frisco, Texas/Jesuit College Preparatory School).
Scoring Plays
- Sewanee got the early jump, scoring a run in the top of the first
- BW responded in the bottom of the inning as Ludwick hit a two-run homerun to center field, earning the 2-1 lead
- The Yellow Jackets tallied another two in the second inning as Kolenich also notched a two-run bomb, making it 4-1 BW
- A homerun by Vonderhaar in the third made it 5-1
- A two-run double by Ludwick drove in junior Tanner Conklin (Pittsburgh, Pa./Plum) and Kolenich (7-1 BW)
- Sewanee tallied one in the fifth to make it 7-2
- Two one-run doubles by senior catcher JT Mazula (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) and Kolenich put the Yellow Jackets up seven runs
- With the score 11-2, BW's Vonderhaar hit his second homerun of the day to tally three runs for the Yellow Jackets (14-2 BW)
- BW scored nine in the eighth inning, highlighted by a two-run single by Ludwick, a grand slam over centerfield by Kamalipour, and a one-run double by freshman Kade Swisher (Berea/Berea-Midpark) to make it 23-2
- Sewanee earned one run in the top of the ninth as BW claimed the huge 23-3 win.
On the Mound
- Sophomore right hander Brendon Hink (Poland/Neshannock, Pa.) started on the mound for BW, pitching 1.1 innings, allowing one run, and tallying a strikeout
- Senior right hander Scott Kirchhoff (Toledo/Sylvania Northview) relieved, pitching 0.2 innings and walking one batter
- Junior left hander Nik Baldis (Wexford, Pa./North Alleghany) earned the win on the mound, pitching 5.0 innings, allowing no earned runs on just three hits, and posted eight strikeouts
- Junior right hander Ethan Boyko (North Royalton) threw 1.0 innings and earned three strikeouts
- Sophomore right hander Drew Schaly (Ashland) pitched 1.0 innings and allowed one earned run on one hit and added a strikeout
Game 2 vs. Arcadia (9-2)
The Yellow Jackets snapped Arcadia's nine game win streak as BW was led by Ludwick as he garnered the BW career runs record during the contest. The Yellow Jackets were also led by the homerun hitters Vonderhaar and Kamalipour.
Scoring Plays
- Arcadia earned the 2-0 jump in the third with a two-run single
- BW responded in the bottom of the inning as Ludwick doubled down the right field line scoring Kolenich and junior leftfielder Ryan Guggenheim (Solon) sacrificed to score junior outfielder Vincent Capolupo (Kenmore, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate)
- The Yellow Jackets tallied another to start the seventh as a Kamalipour double scored Capolupo (3-2 BW)
- A three-run Vonderhaar homerun in the same inning scored Ludwick and Kamalipour making it 6-2 BW. That score by Ludwick earned him the BW career runs record as he's tallied 159 in his decorated career, passing Kyle Chontos who garnered the record during his 2012-15 career (158).
- Another homerun, this time by Kamalipour, in the same inning put the Yellow Jackets up 8-2
- It was a scoreless remaining 2.5 innings, as BW claimed the big 8-2 win to remain undefeated
On the Mound
- Senior right hander Steve Spidell (Mount Eaton/Waynedale) started on the mound for BW, pitching 2.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits, and tallied two strikeouts
- Senior right hander Garret McLeod (Medina) relieved, pitching 3.1 innings, allowing no runs and just three hits, and totaled four strikeouts
- Senior All-OAC right hander Drew Wilson (Sagamore Hills/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy) closed and earned the win for the Yellow Jackets, pitching 3.0 innings, allowing just one hit and no runs, and added three strikeouts
The Yellow Jackets return to the field tomorrow, March 13 as they conclude the Snowbird Classic with a matchup against Babson (Mass.) College. First pitch is set for 11:00 a.m. in Centennial Park.