GAMBIER, Ohio – What began as a weather shuffle turned into a weekend worth savoring for the Kenyon College baseball team. In an effort to dodge a storm system hovering over Ohio, Saturday's Senior Day opener against Wabash College was moved up to an 11:45 a.m. first pitch. The early start, however, did little to outrun the weather, as the game was halted in the top of the fourth inning and delayed for roughly three hours before resuming around 4 p.m. When the dust finally settled, the Owls authored a jaw-dropping comeback and walked off with an 11-10 win in 10 innings. Kenyon then returned Sunday and completed the sweep with an 8-5 victory in game two.
With the pair of wins, the Owls claimed their first NCAC doubleheader sweep of the season and improved to 13-17 overall and 2-8 in conference play, while Wabash dropped to 9-20 overall and 3-7 in the NCAC.
Saturday's opener was a roller coaster from the first inning on. Wabash struck quickly, cashing in two runs in the top of the first, but Kenyon answered right away when
Tyler Nee tripled and later scored on an error to cut the deficit to 2-1. The Little Giants then unloaded four runs in the third, powered by a three-run homer from DJ Mendez and an RBI single from Will Fremion, surging in front 6-1. Just when the game looked to be tilting hard in Wabash's favor, the Owls punched back with a thunderous bottom half. Nee singled,
Gio Giuliani doubled,
Niko Price and
Aaron Moss each delivered RBI singles,
Parker Ellis ripped a two-run triple, and
Ben Russell capped the burst with an RBI single as Kenyon stormed all the way back to knot the score at 6-6.
After the lengthy weather delay, the seesaw battle resumed with Kenyon trailing 7-6, as Wabash had nudged back in front on a run-scoring wild pitch in the final sequence before the stoppage. Once play resumed later in the afternoon, the Owls answered immediately. Nee doubled and eventually scored on a Giuliani single to even the score at 7-7. The Little Giants kept throwing punches, scoring twice in the fifth and once in the sixth to build a 10-8 lead, but Kenyon refused to fold. In the bottom of the ninth, Moss smoked a leadoff double and Russell was hit by a pitch to put the tying run aboard.
Colbie Corpuz then delivered the swing of the afternoon, drilling a two-run double to right field that brought both runners home and sent the game into extra innings. In the 10th,
Jack Enger retired Wabash in order, and the Owls finished the comeback in electric fashion. Moss singled, Ellis followed with a base hit and a stolen base, and Russell punched a walk-off single that scored Moss from third and set off the celebration.
KC pounded out 18 hits in the opener, with Nee setting the table all day by going 4-for-4 with three runs scored, a triple, and a double. Moss added three hits and three runs, Ellis came through with two hits and two RBIs, and Russell delivered three hits and the game-winning RBI. Corpuz's two-run double in the ninth was a massive turning point, while Giuliani, Price, McDill, and Zimmerman all chipped in RBIs as the lineup kept firing from top to bottom. On the mound, Enger earned the win with five innings of relief, allowing just one run while steadying the game after the early chaos.
Sunday's second game lacked the same overtime drama, but it gave the Owls another statement win. Kenyon cracked the scoreboard wide open in the second inning, turning a scoreless game into a 4-0 advantage. Ellis started the rally with a single, Corpuz worked a walk, and Zimmerman lined an RBI single to right. Moments later, Zimmerman swiped second and moved to third on a throwing error, Nee blasted an RBI triple to right, and Giuliani followed with a run-scoring single to make it a four-run inning. That early flurry gave the Owls room to breathe, and they never trailed.
Kenyon kept the pressure on in the middle innings. In the fifth, Russell singled and
Zack Webber laced an RBI triple to right field before Ellis followed with a sacrifice fly to stretch the margin to 6-0. The Owls added another run in the sixth when Corpuz doubled, advanced on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on a wild pitch. In the seventh, Ellis singled and
Trey Kent-Landrum roped an RBI double to left center to make it 8-0. Wabash made things interesting late, scoring three runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth, but Kenyon's staff closed the door before the rally could grow into real danger.
The Owls finished game two with 10 hits, led by Giuliani's two-hit day and a balanced attack throughout the order. Ellis scored twice and drove in a run, Kent-Landrum had an RBI double, Webber tripled in a run, and Corpuz doubled and scored twice. Nee added a triple, an RBI, and a stolen base, while Zimmerman's second-inning RBI single helped ignite the game-changing rally.
On the mound,
Jackson Niedel earned the win with five strong innings in relief, surrendering three runs, two earned, while striking out three.
Chris Cannuscio locked down the save, his first of the year, by getting the final four outs and preserving the sweep.
Up next, the Owls head to Delaware, Ohio, for a midweek NCAC doubleheader against Ohio Wesleyan University. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.
