BEREA, OHIO -- The Baldwin-Wallace College baseball team dropped its 2010 season opener today (Sunday, March 7) with a 5-4 ninth-inning loss to Misericordia (Pa.) College on the first day of the team's annual spring break trip at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational in Winter Haven, Florida. This is the first of 10 games in six days for the Yellow Jackets, 0-1 overall.
Misericordia, now 4-1 overall, jumped on Yellow Jacket senior starter Justin Novak (Strongsville), the Ohio Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete for the Month of March, for a pair of runs in each of the first and third innings to build a 4-0 advantage. B-W cut the advantage to 4-1 with a run in the fifth and then stung the visitor for three more in the seventh to knot the game at 4-4. Misericordia won the game by scoring a run in the top of the ninth inning and holding the home team scoreless.
At the plate, Misericordia outhit the Yellow Jackets, 10-6, including three doubles. B-W centerfielder Sam Wasylyshyn (North Ridgeville) had two hits while five Yellow Jackets, senior second baseman Matt Rollins (Walbridge/ Millbury Lake), junior catcher John Ulanski (Bay Village), senior first baseman Chris Nealon (Avon Lake), senior catcher Matt Bush (Grafton/ Midview) and junior leftfielder Ben Stoper (Medina/ Senior), each had one base hit. Wasylyshyn and Chris Nealon each had a double and Ulanski's hit was a run-scoring triple in the fifth. Rollins highlighted the three-run seventh by driving in a pair of runners.
On the mound, Novak pitched the first six innings and allowed six hits and four runs (all earned). He also struck out four batters and walked just one in facing 25 batters. Senior pitcher/ designated hitter Brian Boveington (Stow/ Stow-Munroe Falls) replaced Novak in the seventh inning and pitched the final three frames, allowing three hits and the one earned run in the ninth. He struck out three and walked three and faced 12 total batters.
The Yellow Jackets are back in action tomorrow, Monday, Mar. 8 when they face Eastern Nazarene (Pa.) University in a doubleheader beginning at 9:30 a.m. B-W then plays another twinbill on Tuesday, Mar. 9 versus Trine (Ind.) University. The first pitch is slated for 3:00 p.m.
FOR MORE BW 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.
