BEREA, OHIO -- Sophomore second-team All-Ohio Athletic Conference first baseman Kyle Chontos (Pickerington/North) laced a run batted-in single through the hole at shortstop and scored junior third baseman Brad Gugliotta (Twinsburg) all the way from first base as the Baldwin Wallace University baseball team walked off with a 7-6 win against Muskingum University in the second game of the Yellow Jackets' home and OAC-opening doubleheader. The games were originally scheduled for yesterday but were moved today due to field conditions.
With its wins, BW improved to 12-3 overall and 2-0 in the OAC. With its loss, Muskingum dropped to 1-14 overall and 0-2 in the OAC.
The Fighting Muskies gained a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning before BW tied it at 3-3 with three tallies of its own in the bottom of the third. After BW took a 4-3 advantage with a run in the fourth, Muskingum tied it with a run in the fifth and took a 5-4 lead with another run in the sixth. The Yellow Jackets regained the lead at 6-5 in the seventh by scoring twice. Muskingum tied the game at 6-6 with a run in the eighth before Chontos' walk-off single.
In the third inning, junior catcher Joe Hiller (Twinsburg) led off with a single but was erased at second base when senior All-OAC center fielder Nolan Neuschaefer (Elyria) reached via a fielder's choice. Neuschaefer advanced to third when senior CAPITAL ONE Academic All-American left fielder Brendan Toughey (East Amherst, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) reached first base via a Fighting Muskie error. After Toughey stole second base, sophomore designated hitter Alex Green (Pickerington/North) blasted his first career home run to drive home three runs and tie the score at 3-3.
In the fourth inning, sophomore first baseman Zach Ferster (Olmsted Falls) led off with a single and advanced to second base and then third via a pair of ground outs and scored when Hiller tripled to the left-center field gap to give BW a 4-3 lead.
In the seventh, Hiller doubled to open the inning. It was his third straight hit and left him a homer shy of hitting for the cycle. He moved to third on a passed ball and Toughey drove him home when he reached on a throwing error by the Muskie shortstop. On the throwing error, Toughey advanced all the way to third. He would score when Gugliotta tripled.
At the plate, Hiller led the way by going 4-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored. In addition, Green went 2-for-5 with three RBI and a run. Toughey also drove in a run and scored twice.
On the mound, sophomore right-hander Anthony Alioto Jr. (Mayfield Heights/Mayfield) started and pitched the first five innings. He allowed six hits, four runs (three earned), struck out five and walked three and left the game with it tied at 4-4. Junior righty Cory Waite (Willoughby/South) threw the sixth inning and allowed two hits and a run (earned) and struck out one. He was followed by freshman righty Tom Loeffler (Shaker Heights) who threw one and two-third innings, allowed one hits, one run (earned), struck out one and walked two batters. Junior Dylan Fodor (Twinsburg) was BW's fourth hurler and earned the win to prove to 2-0. He was spotless through one and one-third innings of work and has not allowed a run in four and one-third innings of work this season.
BW returns to action on Tuesday, April 2 when it hosts OAC and Cleveland cross-town rival John Carroll University in an OAC twinbill at 1:00 p.m. Following its JCU doubleheader, the Jackets play at NCAA Division I the University of Dayton on Wednesday, April 3 and then another OAC twinbill at the University of Mount Union on Saturday, April 6 at 1:00 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 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.bwYellowJackets.com and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.
