One thing rookie head coach Mike Clark preached in the preseason was the execution of small ball. All that work proved to be important as the Denison baseball team executed the technique to perfection in their 8-7 victory over Piedmont College on Saturday.
The Big Red jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top half of the first. Third baseman Matt Forgatch (San Marino, Calif./San Marino) put DU ahead with an RBI double that scored junior Danny Pritz (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) from second. The junior would eventually score on a ground out to first.
The visiting squad added to their lead with a four-run second inning. With the bases loaded and one out, senior Alex Horn (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) crossed the dish on a wild pitch by Caleb Cochran. Forgatch followed up the errant pitch with a base-hit that scored rookie second baseman Andrew Touhy (Wilmette, Ill./Loyola Academy). With two runners in scoring position, senior Park Smith (Warren, N.J./The Pingry School) stepped up and blasted a two-run single that drove in Forgatch and Pritz.
Denison added another run in the third to take a 7-0 lead through three innings. In addition to his accomplishments at the dish, Smith had a solid start in his return to the rubber. The senior carried a no hitter with three strikeouts and a walk through three innings.
Smith's no-no was broken up by a leadoff triple Corey Lindsey which led to a two-run fourth frame for the Lions. In the fifth, Piedmont logged five hits and capitalized on a Big Red error en route to posting five runs and tying the game at 7-7.
With no real scoring threats in the seventh and eighth the table was set for a thrilling ninth inning. Coming off his first collegiate victory last night, freshman Danny Kraus (Westlake, Ohio/Westlake) was hit by a pitch to start off the inning. After a throwing error by hurler Josh McEachin moved Kraus to second, junior Peter Krieger (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) dropped a picture-perfect sacrifice bunt to move Kraus to third base. With one out and the go-ahead run just 90 feet away, sophomore outfielder David Holmes (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) drove in the rookie on a ground out to third.
With a one-run lead heading into the bottom half of the final frame, coach Clark called on junior hurler Nick Smith (Mirror Lake, N.H./Holderness School) to close out the game. Smith fanned the first batter of the inning, but gave up a single to Scott Haddock. After a Lindsey double moved pinch runner Dave Bartek to third, Clark was forced to make a tough decision. Pitch to rookie Tate Koons who was stepping to the plate 0 for 3 with a walk, or intentionally walk him to set up a potential game-ending double play.
The first-year skipper decided to load the bases and put the game on the shoulders of his veteran pitcher. Clark's decision proved to be the right one as Smith got junior second baseman John Duke to hit into a 543 double play to end the contest.
Smith allowed two hits, struck out one and walked another en route to his first save of the year. Sophomore McCavitt Carter (Hanoverton, Ohio/United Local) picked up his first win of 2010 after tossing 2 1/3 hitless innings with two strikeouts out of the bullpen.
Forgatch finished the night 3 for 4 with a double, three RBIs and two runs, while Park Smith also drove in three runs. Denison scored eight runs off 11 hits and committed just one error, while the Lions logged 11 hits, seven runs and committed two errors.
DU improves to 2-1 on the year, while Piedmont falls to 5-8. The Big Red closes out the Piedmont College Spring Break Challenge on Sunday when they take on North Carolina Wesleyan at 11 a.m.
