BEREA, OHIO -- Behind the solid four-hit shutout pitching of senior righthander Justin Novak (Strongsville), the Baldwin-Wallace College baseball team defeated longtime and traditional rival Wittenberg University, 5-0, today (Wednesday, March 11, 2010) on the team's annual Spring Break trip to Winter Haven, Florida.
The Yellow Jackets are now 3-4 overall and play a doubleheader tomorrow versus Albion (Mich.) College with the first game beginning at 3:00 p.m. With its loss, the Tigers fall to 3-3 overall.
The Yellow Jackets scored all of the runs they needed to win with one in the bottom of the first inning, added two in the second and one each in the fourth and seven frames to shutout their second opponent in the past three games. B-W beat Eastern Nazarene (Mass.) Colleger, 1-0, in the second game of a doubleheader on Tuesday.
At the plate, B-W outhit the Tigers, 9-6. Senior rightfielder Ted Cowling (Streetsboro) was a perfect four-for-four with a double and run scored to lead the way. Senior shortstop Jim Martin (Euclid) was two-for-three with a run scored and a run-batted-in. The other three hits were by senior second baseman Matt Rollins (Walbridge/ Millbury Lake), senior third baseman Scott Nealon (Avon Lake) and junior LF Sam Wasylyshyn (North Ridgeville). After seven games, senior catcher Matt Bush (Grafton/ Midview) tops the team in hitting with a .545 batting average (six-for-11) with three doubles, four runs scored and six RBI.
On the mound, Novak tossed a complete-game gem as he pitched nine innings, allowed the six hits, struck out six and did not walk a batter in facing just four hitters (31) over the nine-inning minimum (27). With the win,Novak is now 1-0 with a 2.40 earned run average and a team-leading 10 strikeouts against just one walk in 15 innings pitched.
Following tomorrow's twinbill versus Albion, B-W plays its final game in Winter Haven on Saturday, March 12 against Farliegh Dickinson-Madison (N.J.) at 12:30 p.m. The first northern game is on March 23 when B-W hosts NAIA foe Walsh University at Heritage Field in a single nine-inning game at 4:00 p.m.
The BW versus Walsh game also is 'Donate Used Baseball Equipment Day' with all donated equipment being given to the Cleveland Municipal Baseball program. For more information on that initiative, please contact B-W Assistant Baseball Coach Chris Check at 440-826-2184 or e-mail him at ccheck@bw.edu.
FOR MORE B-W Sports Information, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Nick Minerd by phone at 440-826-2780 and e-mail at nminerd@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest B-W athletics information at www.bw.edu/athletics and we invite you to join us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.
