SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – In a make-up North Coast Athletic Conference doubleheader originally scheduled for Saturday, the Kenyon College baseball team took on the Wittenberg University Tigers Monday at Carleton Davidson Stadium. The Lords took game one by a 6-1 count, but the Tigers bounced back, winning game two 11-1.
In game one, the Lords used a four-run fifth inning and solid pitching from a trio of arms to take down the Tigers.
On the mound, sophomore
Patrick Craig got the start. He got good results, but couldn't quite get through the fifth inning. Before he exited, Craig gave up just one run on two hits, but put himself in constant difficulty by serving up seven walks.
Following Craig, senior
Ross Scheinberg took over in the fifth inning and earned the win. He faced 10 batters, recorded seven outs and allowed just three hits while keeping Wittenberg from scoring.
Nathan Chandler, a junior, then came on in the seventh and recorded the last seven outs without giving up a hit. Scheinberg and Chandler struck out three apiece. Additionally, Chandler extended his scoreless innings streak to 14, spanning his last seven appearances.
In terms of offense, Kenyon struck first with a run in the top of the first. After
Ryan Page reached on a Wittenberg error,
Alex Gow singled.
Matt Contreras then doubled to right field, scoring Page.
The Tigers evened the score in the second inning, but Kenyon blew the game open in the fifth, scoring four times on five hits and a walk. Gow, Contreras,
Patrick O'Leary and
Andrew Rabinowitz all came through with RBIs.
The Lords tallied their last run in the top of the ninth. They loaded the bases with three consecutive walks and O'Leary punched a single up the middle to score Page. O'Leary finished game one 2-for-5 with a run and two RBI. Gow was 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI, while Page went 1-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored.
Game two was a complete reversal. Wittenberg pitching held Kenyon to just three hits and one run. The Lords' lone score came on a second-inning solo home run from O'Leary. The homer was his ninth of the season, giving him the second-best single-season home run total in program history.
The only other hits for the Lords were a pair of singles from junior catcher
Joaquin Murrieta.
Wittenberg starter Tanner Griggs pitched seven-and-two-thirds, walked one and struck out 13 to pick up his third win of the season.
For Kenyon, control was an issue. Five different pitchers combined to walk 12 Wittenberg batters. The Kenyon staff managed 11 strikeouts and only gave up six hits, but seven of those 12 Tigers that reached base via the free pass came around to score.
Wittenberg scored three times in the third inning to chase Kenyon starter
Zach Elsawy. They went on to score at least one run in the next four innings, including three in the fifth and two in the sixth.
In the top bottom of the eighth inning, the Tigers loaded up the bases on a walk and two errors. David Hamrick then singled, ending the game early via the 10-run rule.
The split puts Kenyon at 19-12 overall and 6-6 in NCAC play. Wittenberg moved to 15-12 overall and 6-6 in conference action.
