Matt Groezinger hit three home runs and drove in eight RBIs as the The College of Wooster exploded for 15 runs over the final four innings, resulting in a 19-7 win over the Denison Big Red in the championship of the 2010 North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.
Heading to the bottom of the fifth inning, the Fighting Scots found themselves trailing the Big Red 7-4. In that inning, Denison starting pitcher Bob Giarratani (Winthrop, Mass./Bishop Fenwick) walked the first two hitters before being relieved by Dale McOsker (Loveland, Ohio/Loveland). With two runners on and no one out, Zac Vesco hit a grounder to Zach Huttie (Cary, N.C./Athens Drive) at shortstop. The senior went for the double play at second and got the first out, however, a hard slide by Groezinger forced Nicholson's throw to short-hop Park Smith (Warren, N.J./The Pingry School) at first base, eventually reaching the wall in foul territory, scoring Groezinger from first base.
Two more singles followed by a hit batsman would set up a bases loaded situation for the Fighting Scots' most dangerous hitter of the tournament, Matthew Johnson. Treading carefully around Johnson, McOsker walked the senior on five pitches, tying the game at 7-7.
In the sixth, a RBI triple to left by Greg Van Horn would give the Scots the lead that they would not relinquish again.
Denison was led by Evan Nicholson (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) who went 4-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored. In the fourth inning senior Aidan Lucas (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Twp.) drilled a bases loaded double off the wall in right field to give DU a 6-4 lead. In the fifth Nicholson's RBI single that scored Huttie put the Big Red up 7-4.
For Wooster, Van Horn would go on to be named the MVP of the Tournament following his impressive weekend. He was 3-for-4 today and came just a double shy of hitting for the cycle. Denison landed three players on the all-tournament team as Lucas, Smith and junior third baseman Matt Forgatch (San Marino, Calif./San Marino) were honored for their play. Lucas was 6-for-13 (.462) in four starts and finished with six RBIs, three doubles, one home run, and three runs scored. He also led Denison to a game one victory over Allegheny by pitching eight innings, allowing only one run while striking out eight.
Smith led DU by going 5-for-10 (.500) at the plate while firing a complete game victory in Friday night's elimination game versus Wabash. In the third inning of today's game his RBI single to right field moved him into second place on the Denison all-time hit list. He would add a double in the ninth inning in his final collegiate at-bat, giving him 207 hits in his outstanding career.
Forgatch rounded out the all-tournament honorees for DU by going 6-for-16 (.375). He was also a terror on the basepaths, going 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts.
Denison's season comes to an end with a 23-18 record while Wooster advances to the NCAA Division III Championship as the nation's No. 3 ranked team with a record of 34-7.
