GRANVILLE, Ohio  – In their first steps toward competing for the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament championship the Kenyon College baseball team were turned away by Denison University after playing a total of 20 innings in Saturday's inaugural Crossover Weekend series. Game one took 11 innings to decide a winner but the Big Red prevailed, 9-8, prior to cruising to a 7-2 win in the nightcap. The sweep grants Denison the opportunity to continue toward the conference tournament. The Lords and Big Red will meet one last time on Sunday afternoon to close out the three-game set.

Senior Tyler Dierke tossed seven effective innings to allow the Lords' bats to get going to the tune of a 6-2 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh. After Denison scored the game's first run in the third, Kenyon's Sam Gillespie and Zack Karson drove in runs with back-to-back, RBI singles to take the lead. The Lords plated two more in their next trip to the plate via a run-scoring single by John Nahra followed by a wild pitch, sending home Andrew Dunn. Karson helped further pad the Lords' lead with a two-run home run, his first of the season and of his career.

In the bottom of the seventh Denison struck for six runs, three coming off Dierke after he allowed the first three batters on base to lead off the inning. Alex Kendall came in but Denison's attack did not halt as the Big Red took an 8-6 lead after five singles and two errors aided the inning along. Kenyon tied the game in the top of the eighth after Denison returned the favor with two miscues in the field. The Lords stranded the potential go-ahead run at third base that inning and after a scoreless ninth the two teams went into extras.

Mike Jeffers (2-4) entered his third inning of relief work when the two teams broke into the 11th inning. After retiring the leadoff man, the sophomore delivered a walk to Nick Marsit followed by a double to Jake Meegan to put runners at second and third. Jeffers initiated an intentional walk to load the bases before giving way to Spencer Byers. Denison's Tim Duxbury worked the count to 2-2 before delivering a walk-off, game-winning base hit to right center to claim a 9-8 win for the hosts.

Denison wasted no time in game two to get on the board and take a 6-0 advantage before the end of the third inning. The Lords' Josh Jacobvitz (3-4) surrendered three runs in the first and third innings behind seven Denison hits in the two frames. The early lead was more than enough for Big Red starting pitcher Connor Murphy (4-5) who tossed a complete game in the win. Through his first four innings, he silenced Kenyon's bats by allowing only two hits. Nahra helped Kenyon get on the board, scoring from third on Jake Dunn's sacrifice fly in the fifth and later driving in Kyle Hardacker on a two-out double, but Murphy rode the lead to the end in a 7-2 victory for the Big Red.

The pair of losses will prevent Kenyon's advance to the 2013 NCAC Tournament and punch Denison's ticket. The Lords (20-16, 7-9 NCAC) will conclude their season on Sunday with one final game against the Big Red, beginning at 12 p.m.