GAMBIER, Ohio -- The Kenyon College (12-11, 5-3 NCAC) baseball team made the most of two games at home on McCloskey Field on Wednesday when they welcomed Ohio Wesleyan University (8-20, 1-9 NCAC) for a North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) twin bill, picking up two big wins over the Battling Bishops. Both wins came in impressive comeback fashion, with the Owls overcoming a five-run game-one deficit and a two-run margin in game two.

Both games were full of excitement, but nothing game two had to offer could compare to game one's electric events. En route to a digging out of a 5-0 hole and a 7-3 sixth-inning deficit, Kenyon's offense tallied three home runs over the final three innings, with the first two long balls tying the game before the third emphatically won it.

Seniors showed out throughout the day as all three big homers came from soon-to-be graduates, and two senior starters picked up huge outs out of the bullpen. Despite the shining senior performances, Kenyon needed contributions from the whole roster and both sides of the ball to get through the games unscathed.

Senior Christian Harris started game one and wracked up a career-high eight strikeouts over four-plus innings, but the game got away from the Owls after Harris and Peyton Hodges were roughed up over a four-run fifth-inning that saw Ohio Wesleyan jump ahead 5-0. The Owls bounced back in part due to a two-RBI double from Ben Resnick, but the Battling Bishops built their lead back to 7-3 in the sixth.

In the bottom of the inning, a big OWU error allowed Kenyon to score and helped the home team load the bases for Parker Gibbons. Gibbons stepped in with two outs and the bases juiced, and the senior did his duty as the designated hitter, hitting a huge three-run homer that tied the game at 7-7.

Ohio Wesleyan responded with an unearned run in the eighth, reclaiming the lead. However, Kenyon's crucial hits kept coming, this time from another senior, Dustin Lee. Lee launched a long ball all the way over the center-field fence to lead off the inning, immediately erasing the deficit.

Lewis Cropper, a senior, came in for three tough outs in the top of the ninth inning, and the stage was set for the Owls to get the last laugh in the final frame. Will Nelson came through with a pinch-hit, one-out single, and the first-year represented the winning run on base. Nate Rosen, another senior, worked a walk to keep the pressure on, but the Owls were down to the inning's final out with Lee back up to bat. Lee kept the Owls alive, working another walk that brought another senior, Luke Meister, to the plate. Meister was down to his final strike as extra innings loomed large, but the senior mashed a massive grand slam that sent the team into a frenzy and clinched the 12-8 walk-off win.

Meister, who scored Kenyon's first and last runs, finished with four RBIs and scored three runs while going 2-for-5 at the plate. The senior has owned Ohio Wesleyan over at least the last two seasons as he had a monster three-homer game last season at OWU.

Gibbons also hit 2-for-5, batting in three and scoring twice. Lee led the Owls with three hits and scored three runs. Cropper earned the win after his crucial relief appearance, improving to 3-1 this season.

Game two followed a similar script as OWU struck first before Gibbons tied it up, and then the Bishops rebuilt a lead, going ahead 3-1 in the sixth inning.

Lee and Gibbons came through again as each senior batted in a run to tie the game at 3-3 through six frames. Then, in the eighth inning, the Owls offense exploded for four runs. Rosen came around to score on an error, giving the Owls their first lead of the game before Gibbons stayed hot with a two-run double. Niko Price drove in Meister to cap the scoring, putting Kenyon up 7-3.

Griffin Jackson had a great outing to help the Owls keep OWU at bay, and the first-year earned his season's first win for his efforts. Frank Lynch, another senior starter, had a similar outing to Cropper when he came on in the ninth inning to close out the game. With a run in and the tying run on deck, the lefty stepped in and stepped up, locking down the 7-4 win and securing his first career save with the game's final out.

Gibbons was unstoppable in game two, going 4-for-4 with four RBIs. On the day, the designated hitter hit 6-for-9 with seven RBIs and three runs. Tyler Nee scored three game-two runs, while Lee touched home twice.

Up next, the Owls head to Crawfordsville, Indiana, to take on Wabash College (21-9, 8-2 NCAC) on Saturday, April 19. First pitch of the NCAC doubleheader is set for noon.