A two-run single by Craig Phillips in the eighth inning helped the Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops pull out a 4-3 victory and complete a doubleheader sweep of the Denison Big Red on Sunday in Granville. The Bishops won Sunday's opener 12-4.
OWU took a 2-0 edge in game two after RBI singles in the second and third innings. Denison got their offense going in the fourth on a lead-off double by senior Park Smith (Warren, N.J./The Pingry School). The double was the 43rd of Smith's career and moved him into second on Denison's all-time list. With one out, pinch runner Tyler Nicholson (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) stole third and scored on a double to right center by designated hitter David Baskin (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township). Following his two-base hit, Baskin was replaced at second by pinch runner Evan Nicholson (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover). With two down, Nicholson successfully swiped third base and came around to score on a throwing error which tied the game at 2-2.
The Battling Bishops had a chance to regain the lead in the top of the sixth with a runner on third and only one out, but senior pitcher Aidan Lucas (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) struck out James Toland and got Steve Gaydos to ground out to shortstop Tim Duxbury (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) to get out of the jam unscathed.
Freshman Andrew Touhy (Wilmette, Ill./Loyola Academy) led off the bottom of the seventh with a base hit through the left side. Pinch hitter Danny Kraus (Westlake, Ohio/Westlake) pulled back on a bunt attempt and slapped a base hit past a charging Zach Bott at third. Duxbury dropped a sacrifice bunt to move Kraus and Touhy to second and third, respectively. After relief pitcher J.R. Osborne intentionally walked Forgatach to load the bases, OWU skipper Tyler Mott put the ball in the hands of sophomore Andrew Cox. The Big Red attempted a suicide squeeze with two strikes, but a missed bunt turned into a double play that sent the game into extra innings.
After a pair of infield singles and a hit by pitch loaded the bases for Ohio Wesleyan, rookie Craig Phillips dropped a base hit into shallow right center which scored Scott Wise and Steve Ruygrok to give the Bishops a 4-2 lead in the extra frame. Junior Freddy Marino (Shaker Heights, Ohio/University School) replaced Lucas after the single and was able to strikeout James DiBiasio.
In the bottom of the eighth, pinch hitter Justin Vaske (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) reached base on a fielding error with one out. With pinch runner Josh Butler (Oakville, Ontario, Canada/Iroquis Ride) on first, senior Alex Horn (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) dropped a bloop single down the right field line to put runners at first and second. Down to their last out, Touhy lined a base hit through the left side to score Butler. However, Horn was tagged out at third to end the game and give the Bishops a 4-3 victory.
Lucas was saddled with the loss after giving up four runs on nine hits with four strikeouts in 7.2 innings of work. Smith went 2-for-2 with a double, while Horn and Touhy also logged a pair of hits.
In the opener, the Bishops jumped out to a 6-0 lead after posting three runs in the third, two in the fourth and another tally in the fifth. Denison scored their first run of the game in the bottom of the fifth when a ground out by senior Zach Huttie (Cary, N.C./Athens Drive) plated junior Danny Pritz (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier).
After sophomore reliever Chris Fries (Cooper City, Fla./American Heritage) retired the side in the top of the sixth, the Big Red trimmed the deficit to 6-3 in the bottom of the frame following a double by Pritz and single from Smith. However, OWU answered with six runs on seven hits in the seventh frame. The six-run inning was highlighted by a three-run homer to right by Tim Knezovich.
At the plate, Pritz finished a perfect 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base, while Smith logged a pair of singles, drove in a run and swiped two bags.
Bishop pitcher Eric Livingston picked up his second win of the year after giving up three runs on six hits with seven strikeouts in six innings on the hill. Denison junior Nick Smith (Mirror Lake, N.H./Holderness School) took the loss after surrendering six runs (five earned) on eight hits in 4.1 innings.
Denison falls to 15-14 overall and 5-5 in the North Coast Athletic Conference West Division, while OWU improves to 14-14 on the year and 8-4 in conference action. DU returns to the field on Tuesday (April 13) when they host Transylvania University. First pitch for the nine-inning game is slated for 6 p.m.
