The Denison University baseball team split their third North Coast Athletic Conference doubleheader of the 2011 season in Gambier, Ohio on Sunday afternoon.  The Big Red rallied to take game one 5-3, but dropped the nightcap to Kenyon 10-2.

Junior Andrew Mahle gave Denison the early lead in the opener with a one-out solo home run in the top half of the second inning.  In the bottom of the frame, Kenyon's Devin Ensing knocked in Nate Lotze with an RBI single to right field.  The Lords took the lead when Brian Hess reached on a fielding error that scored Mike Danziger.  Kenyon added to their lead in the third when Lotze singled in Craig Wocl from second base.

The Big Red broke out of their offensive slump with four runs in the sixth to take a 5-3.  Junior Evan Nicholson opened the frame with a single up the middle.  After stealing second, sophomore Danny Kraus reached on a base hit bunt that put runners on the corners with no outs.  Sophomore center fielder Tim Duxbury tied the game with a double to the gap in right center that scored both Kraus and Nicholson.  Senior Matt Forgatch kept things going with an single through the left side that put runners at the corners for the second time in the inning.  After Forgatch stole second to put two runners in scoring position, Mahle and senior Peter Krieger logged back-to-back RBI singles that plated Duxbury and Forgatch, respectively.

Even with their early offensive struggles, Denison remained in the game thanks to the phenomenal pitching display from senior Nick Smith.  Smith surrendered three runs (one earned) and five hits over his first three innings of work.  The senior hurler improved as the game went on and gave up just one hit, struck out five and faced the minimum 12 batters over the final four frames.  Smith secured his second win of the season by striking out the side in order in the bottom of the seventh.

Mahle finished 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs and a run scored, while Kraus had two hits and scored once and Duxbury hit a double, drove in a pair and scored one.

Lotze paced the Lords' offense with two hits, an RBI and a run, while Andrew Runn and Danziger each had a double.  Tyler Dierke suffered the loss after giving up five runs on eight hits in seven innings.  Dierke also recorded nine strikeouts and walked two batters.

In game two Kenyon erupted four runs in the first and third innings and two more in the second en route to building a 10-2 lead after three frames.  The lone DU runs came in the third thanks to RBI singles by Duxbury and Forgatch.  Krieger and rookie Jeremy Tirado each went 2-for-3 to lead the Big Red attack.  Krieger had the lone extra base hit for Denison, while Tirado and sophomore Josh Butler each scored.

Senior southpaw Freddy Marino took the loss after giving up six runs on eight hits in 1.2 innings.  Kenyon's Alex Cultice went the distance allowing two runs on nine hits.

Denison (13-12, 5-3 NCAC) returns to action on Wednesday (April 6) when they travel to Tiffin, Ohio to take on nationally-ranked Heidelberg University at 4 p.m.