GRANVILLE, Ohio – Behind stellar defensive play and a solid pitching performance from Perley Provost, the Denison University Big Red earned a 5-3 win against Kenyon College on Wednesday night in a North Coast Athletic Conference game at Big Red Field.
 
Denison improved to 20-6 and 8-1 in the NCAC while the Lords dropped to 10-12 and 4-4 in conference play.
 
Provost went eight frames, allowed two earned runs, induced 18 combined fly outs and groundouts and struck out five Kenyon batters.
 
The Big Red struck first as Sam Frazen drove in Tanner Johnson on a fielder's choice in the opening frame. That 1-0 count remained until Denison found three more runs a few innings later.
 
In the fourth, Brian McAuliffe connected with a one-out single up the middle which scored Jack Blanchard. A couple batters later, Nick Pettigrew brought home McAuliffe with a sacrifice fly. Leading 3-0, Johnson followed with a single to left field allowing Max Lahn to round home plate.
 
Kenyon responded with its first run in the home half of the fourth. An RBI groundout from Ryan Page scored Alex Gow who singled in the second plate appearance of the inning. Then in the fifth, senior Matt von Roemer plated Paul Siciliano with a sacrifice fly to left field. That brought the count to 4-2, Denison.
 
After a scoreless sixth, Denison's Grady Paine smacked a solo shot to right field moving the Big Red's lead to 5-2.
 
From the bottom of the seventh to the end of the game, the Lords found two more hits, both from Mikey Arman, but could not come even with Denison. Arman drove in Max Warren in the ninth with a two-out single, however, Big Red reliever Mikey Rivera didn't allow any more runs as he earned the save.
 
Arman had three hits for the Lords while Patrick O'Leary added two more.
 
Next on the schedule for Kenyon is an NCAC home doubleheader on April 21 against Wittenberg University. Game one will start at noon at McCloskey Field.