BEREA, OHIO -- The Baldwin-Wallace college Yellow Jacket baseball team ended its annual 10-game spring break trip today (Saturday, March 14, 2009) with an 11-6 victory against St. Joseph's (N.Y.) College in Winter Haven, Florida.  B-W ends its trip at 4-6 overall and with a two-game winning streak.

 

B-W opened the game by grabbing a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning when senior two-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference first baseman Riley Kreisher (Ashtabula/ Edgewood) his third homerun of the spring, a two-run shot. St. Josph's tied the game with a pair of unearned runs off junior lefthanded starter and eventual winner Scott Luthman (Celina) in the bottom of the first frame. A single tally in the third and a pair in the fourth gave BW a 5-2 advantage through five innings.

 

In the top of the sixth, B-W increased its lead to 7-2 when senior ESPN THE MAGAZINE Academic All-American centerfielder Cody Kidd (Wellington) blasted a prodigious two-run homer. Undaunted, St. Joseph's again answered back when it scored a pair of earned runs off Luthman to close to within 7-4. But B-W put the game away with another run in the seventh and three more in the top of the ninth to lead 11-4 entering the last of the ninth. St. Joseph's closed out the scoring with a pair of runs.

 

Offensively, Kidd, Kriesher and fellow senior All-OAC rightfielder Mike Brisky (Berea) led the way with three base hits each. In addition, senior third baseman Jake Gross (West Farmington/ Warren Champion) was two-of-two with a double, a run scored and two runs batted-in and reached base four times and had a sacrifice fly.

 

On the mound, Luthman started and pitched the first six innings to gain the win and improve to 2-0 overall. He allowed four hits and four runs (two earned) with five strikeouts and four bases on balls. Sophomore lefty Nick Flanigan (Wadsworth) relieved Luthman and threw two and two-third innings. He allowed two hits and two runs (both earned) with three strikeouts and two walks. Freshman righthander Jon Connolly (Brook Park/ Middleburg Heights Midpark) then relieved Flanigan in the ninth. He gave up one hit and struck out the final St. Joseph batter in the game.

 

B-W opens its northern schedule on Saturday, March 21 with an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader against Muskingum College in Berea at Heritage Field at 1:00 p.m. It is the first of eight home games in its first nine up north.  B-W also is home against Notre Dame College (of Ohio) on March 25, OAC and Cleveland cross-town rival John Carroll University on March 28, NAIA foe Walsh University on March 29, Cleveland traditional rival Case Western Reserve University on March 31 and versus NCAA powerhouse The College of Wooster on April 2.

 

FOR  MORE  INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at (440) 826-2327 and via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Nick Minerd by phone at (440) 826-2780 and via e-mail at nminerd@bw.edu.  To contact Head Coach Bob Fisher, please call him at (440) 826-2182 in his office and e-mail him at rfisher@bw.edu.  More information may be accessed on the B-W athletics page atwww.bw.edu/athletics.