Senior Matt Forgatch and junior Andrew Mahle each had a home run in Denison's 4-3 victory over Muskingum University on Tuesday afternoon from Mose Morehead Field in New Concord, Ohio.

Denison wasted no time gaining the early advantage.  Junior Tyler Nicholson got things going with a one-out single to the gap in right center in the first inning.  Forgatch gave DU the early 2-0 edge with a home run over the left field wall.  The Muskies cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single by Tyler Hardcastle.

The Big Red were able to protect their lead with some solid defensive plays over the next few innings.  With one out and runners in scoring position in the second, starter Philip Seay got Michael Lynn to hit a soft grounder back to the mound for the second out.  With two down, the sophomore pitcher got Zach Siemon to ground out to Forgatch to escape the jam.

In the third, sophomore catcher Lowell Hall dropped a single into left that plated Forgatch to extend the DU lead to 3-1.  In the bottom of the frame, Seay faced another two-out jam.  With runners at second and third, Forgatch came up with a run-saving grab down the third base line and threw out Colton Maxwell to protect the two-run advantage.

Mahle provided what proved to be the game-winning run in the top half of the fourth.  The junior outfielder led off the frame with a line drive home run of the wall in right field to give Denison a 4-1 lead.  The solo shot was the first homer of Mahle's career.

In the bottom of the fourth, junior Evan Nicholson made a diving stop at second that robbed Erik Spitzer of a hit and stopped Muskingum from plating their second run of the game.  In the next inning, it looked like the Muskies were starting another rally as they had runners at first and second with one out.  However, Maxwell hit a ground ball to Forgatch who stepped on third and fired a strike to first for the inning-ending double play.

Muskingum shrunk the deficit to one in the seventh with a pair of RBI ground outs to shortstop Josh Butler.  The Muskies put the game-winning run on base in the ninth, but reliever Chris Fries got Hardcastle to ground into a 1-6-3 double play to end the game.

Seay (1-0) picked up the win after allowing one run on six hits in five innings of work.  Fries gave up one hit and struck out one over the final two innings en route to his first-career save.  Mahle and Forgatch each went 2-for-4 on the day.  Mahle had a home run, a double, an RBI and a run, while Forgatch had a home run, drove in a pair, scored twice and stole two bases.

Spitzer went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored to pace the Muskingum offense, while Hardcastle finished with two hits, two RBIs and a stolen base.  Starter Alex Vandine suffered the loss after giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits in six innings of work.

Denison (7-8) returns to action on Wednesday (March 23) when they host fourth-ranked Marietta College at 6 p.m.