The Denison Big Red opened their weekend series on Saturday afternoon by splitting a doubleheader with North Coast Athletic Conference rival Ohio Wesleyan University. The Bishops took game one 6-3, while the Big Red won the nightcap 2-1.
Trailing 3-0 through two and a half innings, the Big Red final hung one on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third on a double down the left field line by sophomore Andrew Mahle (Belle Mead, N.J./Montgomery) that scored senior Zach Huttie (Cary, N.C./Athens Drive) from second base. After each team posted a tally in the fifth, Denison trimmed the margin to 4-3 in the sixth. Pinch hitter Tim Duxbury (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) reached base on a one-out single to left. Following a base-on-balls by junior Matt Forgatch (San Marino, Calif./San Marino), pinch hitter David Baskin (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) laced a single up the middle to score Duxbury and make it a one-run game. However, the Bishops added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh to secure the game-one victory.
OWU hurler Matt Struble gave up three runs on nine hits with five strikeouts in seven innings on the hill. DU senior pitcher Park Smith (Warren, N.J./The Pingry School) tossed six innings, allowing four runs on eight hits with three Ks.
Mahle and freshman Danny Kraus (Westlake, Ohio/Westlake) both went 2-for-3 in game one. Mahle belted two doubles, drove in a run and scored one, while Kraus knocked in a run. OWU junior Zach Frentsos went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI in the opener. He was just a single away from the cycle after logging a triple in his second at bat, an inside-the-park homer in his third appearance and a double in his final at bat of the game.
Game two was a classic pitcher's dual between sophomores Tyler Vaske (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) and Mason Farr. The two allowed a combined four hits in the first four and a half innings of action. Smith had a chance to break the scoreless tie with the bases loaded in third, but Farr got out of the jam by getting the senior to ground into a 643 double play.
Facing basically the same situation in the fifth inning, Smith hit a ground ball to second baseman Zach Bott. Bott turned to shortstop Steve Gaydos for one out, but a head-first dive by Smith broke up the DP and allowed junior Kevin Teague (Fairfax Station, Va./St. Stephens and St. Agnes) to score from third.
OWU answered with a run of their own in the top of the sixth when Craig Phillips crossed the dish after a Big Red fielding error. Looking to avoid extra innings, DU quickly responded with a tally in their half of the inning. Senior Aidan Lucas (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) opened the frame with a double to right center. Tyler Nicholson (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover), who pinch ran for Lucas, moved to third on a fielder's choice SAC bunt by senior Alex Horn (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) and scored the go-ahead run on a throwing error by Farr.
Up by a run heading into the seventh, the ball was handed to junior southpaw Freddy Marino (Shaker Heights, Ohio/University School). After retiring the first batter via strikeout, the junior gave up a double to dead center to Frentsos. He then got Tim Knezovich to hit a soft grounder back to the mound for the second out. With the game-tying run in scoring position, Marino got Steve Guygrok to swing and miss at strike three to closed out the Big Red win.
Vaske picked up his third win of the season after surrendering one unearned run on two hits with three strikeouts in six innings. Marino logged his second save of the year, allowing one hit with two strikeouts. Lucas paced the DU attack in game two with a double and a single.
Denison is now 15-12 overall and 5-3 in the NCAC West, while OWU sits at 12-14 on the year and 6-4 in division play. The two teams conclude their weekend series on Sunday. Game one of the twinbill is slated begin at 1 p.m.
