CHILLICOTHE, Ohio – The Kenyon College Lords couldn't capitalized on a couple of bases-loaded situations Thursday and fell, 8-1, to The College of Wooster in the first round of the 2018 North Coast Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament at VA Memorial Stadium.

The Lords (16-17) got their first prime opportunity to get a jump on the Fighting Scots in the second inning, which started with an out and then singles from Matt Contreras and Alex Hoskins. Joaquin Murrieta walked to load the bases, but the next two Kenyon hitters fouled out and popped up.

Wooster (35-6) got the scoring started in the bottom of the second. Dan Harwood singled up the middle and the next batter, Garrett Crum, homered over the centerfield wall to give the Fighting Scots a 2-0 lead.

Wooster created more breathing room in the bottom of the third. The Fighting Scots put together a couple singles, a couple doubles and capitalized on a Kenyon error to score three more times,  improving their lead to 5-0.  

In the fourth inning, the Lords loaded the bases again with just one out, but a pop out and a strikeout ended the threat and let Wooster starting pitcher, Nanak Saran, off the hook.

Kenyon scored its only run in the eighth inning off Wooster reliever Evan Faxon. Senior Matt von Roemer led off the frame with a triple off the top of the right field wall. He later came around to score on a passed ball.

The triple gave von Roemer 46 hits for the season and 209 for his Kenyon career. That total now ranks second-best all-time in program history.

After Kenyon pulled within four runs, Wooster responded with a three-run eighth inning that all but sealed the victory. One of those three runs was pinned on Kenyon starter Patrick Craig, who completed seven innings, gave up nine hits and five earned runs. He didn't walk a batter and he struck out four.

Luke Calcei and Ross Scheinberg finished off the eighth inning in relief of Craig.

At the plate, von Roemer's triple was one of six Kenyon hits and one of just two extra-base hits. Mikey Arman had a double to lead off the game. Alex Gow, Contreras and Hoskins, who went 2-for-4, accounted for the rest of the Kenyon hits.

The Lords will now face an elimination game Friday. They'll play at 4 p.m. against the loser of Thursday night's game between Denison University and Wabash College.