BEREA, OHIO -- The Baldwin-Wallace College baseball team split an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader today (Sunday, April 17) at Heritage Field in Berea. The game was originally scheduled to be played yesterday but was postponed due to weather.
The Yellow Jackets came back from a 10-1 deficit to win the first game, 11-10, and the lost the nightcap, 17-12. With the split the Yellow Jackets are now 15-13 overall and 3-7 in the OAC. With its split, the Polar Bears are now 16-11 overall and 3-7 in the OAC.
In the first game, ONU scored two runs in the top of the first, added four more in the second and two more in the fifth to build an 8-0 lead. The Yellow Jackets scored in the bottom of the fifth when sophomore centerfielder Nolan Neuschaefer (Elyria) singled, advanced to second on a single by sophomore designated hitter Brendan Toughey (East Amherst, N.Y./ St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute), moved to third on a fielder's choice and scored on a single by sophomore first baseman Dan Craft (Elmira, N.Y./ Southside).
After ONU scored twice more in the top of the sixth, BW trailed 10-1. That's when the comeback began.
In the sixth, ONU replaced sophomore pitched Austin Price, who had allowed just three hits and one run through five innings. Senior catcher Ryan Nordquist (Alliance) greeted the new pitcher with a single and then was replaced by pinch runner in freshman OF Kory Gillissie (Parma/ Cleveland St. Ignatius). Junior shortstop Anthony Longhitano (Cuyahoga Falls) moved him to second with a single and he went to third on aNeuschaefer single. After another pitching change, Toughey doubled home Gillissie and Longhitano to make the score 10-3. The bases reloaded when sophomore Jay Yost (Bascom/ Hopewell-Loudon) was hit-by-pitch.
Senior LF John Ulanski (Bay Village/ Bay) drove in Neuschaefer when he reached base via an error to make the score 10-4. Craft then walked to force home Toughey to make it 10-5. After a fielder's choice scored Yost to make it 10-6, pinch hitter in junior catcher Jordan Barnett (Willard) walked to again reload the bases. Pinch hitter in freshman Drew Mahler (Wooster) singled to drive home Craft to make it 10-7. Longhitano, batting for the second time, then doubled home Barnett and sophomore Matt Kulick (Wilmot/ Navarre Fairless), who had reached via the fielder's choice, to make the score 10-9.
Following a third pitching change in the inning by ONU, Neuschaefer greeted the new reliever with the game-winning hit by doubling home Mahler with the tying run and Longhitano with the winning run. It also was BW first lead of the game at 11-10. In the top of the seventh, sophomore righthanded stopper Jon Tenley (Wadsworth) came in the game in relief and held the Polar Bears scoreless to preserve the win and gain his team-leading third save of the season.
At the plate for the Yellow Jackets, Neuschaefer led the way as he had three hits in five at-bats with two runs scored and two runs batted-in. In addition, Toughey and Longhitano each had a pair of hits. Longhitano also scored twice and had two RBI. Also, six of the seven hits by the trio came in the 10-run sixth. On the mound for B-W, senior righthander Josh Scott (Strongsville) started pitched one and two-third innings, allowed five hits, six runs (just two earned), struck out two and walked two. Scott was followed to the mound by freshmanCory Waite (Willoughby/ South) in the second, junior Chris Terlop (Strongsville) in the sixth and Tenley in the seventh. Terlop picked up the win, the second of his career, to improve to 1-0 this season.
In the second game, the Polar Bears offense would erupt for 17 runs on 26 hits and they would score at least a run or more in seven of the nine innings ONU jumped out to an 11-4 advantage through the top of the fifth inning before B-W bats once again came to life in the bottom half of the inning to plate six runs.
The Polar Bears would quickly responded with four more runs in the top of the sixth to regain a five run advantage. The Yellow Jackets would add two more runs in the bottom of the sixth and eighth before ONU added two more runs in the top of the ninth.
At the plate for the Yellow Jackets were led by Neuschaefer, Yost and Ulanski as each went 3-for-4. Ulanski accounted for five RBI and Yost had one RBI. On the mound for BW, sophomore Brent Edmonds (Olmsted Falls) started and was tabbed with the loss. He was followed to the mound by sophomore Pat Havens (Twinsburg), freshman Dylan Fodor (Twinsburg), junior Bill Bostleman (Marion/Harding), sophomoreSteven Foltz (North Canton /St. Thomas Aquinas) and Tenley closed out the ninth.
B-W is back in action on Tuesday, April 19 when it travels to Tiffin to face the number-five-ranked Heidelberg University Student Princes in an OAC doubleheader at 1:00 p.m. The final home game is on Tuesday, April 26 when B-W hosts traditional and non-league rival Hiram College in a single, nine-inning game at 4:30 p.m.
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 Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu Fans can access the latest B-W athletics information at www.bw.edu/athletics and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter athttp://twitter.com/bwathletics
