The Denison baseball team dropped its North Coast Athletic Conference opener to 18th-ranked DePauw on Saturday.  The Tigers edged DU 2-1 in the opener and won the nightcap 14-4 in eight innings.

The opener was a pitcher's duel as Denison's Tyler Vaske and DePauw's Elliott Ross combined to allow just three runs on nine hits.  The Big Red struck early when an RBI double by Andrew Mahle in the first plated freshman Charlie Apfelbach.  The Tigers took the in the third thanks to a two-run single by Jason Cohen.  Over the final four frames, the two starters allowed just one hit each.

Ross improved to 4-1 after scattering three hits and striking out six, while Vaske fell to 0-3 following a six-hit three-strikeout performance.

In game two, the Big Red saw the first nine batters of the opening frame reach safely en route to building a 4-0 lead.  However, three runs in the third and seventh, two more in the fifth and a six spot in the eighth powered DePauw past DU.  Junior Danny Kraus went 3-for-4, while Ryan Mulligan and Kyle Clemmenson each had an RBI and a run scored.

Starter Connor Murphy suffered the loss after allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits with five Ks in 6.1 innings.  The Tigers' Andy Manson gave up four runs on 11 hits in seven frames en route to the win.

Denison falls to 5-16 overall and 0-2 in the NCAC West, while DePauw improves to 21-3 and 6-0 in conference play.  The Big Red closes out the four-game series on Sunday.  Game one of the doubleheader is slated to begin at 1 p.m.