For the second-consecutive season, the Big Red baseball team locked up a berth in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament with a doubleheader sweep on the opening day of the NCAC Crossover Series in Granville. Denison blew out Hiram 19-0 in the opener, and won a back-and-forth battle in the second game, 13-7.

Denison became one of three teams to secure their spot in next weekend's postseason tournament on Saturday afternoon. Wooster, the NCAC East Champion, swept a doubleheader with Ohio Wesleyan (7-5, 17-8) and DePauw, the No. 2 seed in the West Division, took a pair from Oberlin (14-2, 13-6). In the series between Wabash and Allegheny, the Little Giants took game one 6-3. The second game of the doubleheader was suspended in the fourth inning due to rain. The Gators were leading Wabash 2-0 when the game was put on hold.

The DU offense jumped all over the Terrier pitching staff in game one, racking up 19 runs on 20 hits. The Big Red scored multiple runs in each of the first five innings. Denison plated five runs in the first off six hits and followed that up with four more in the second frame. The home team did the most damage in the third when they pushed across six runs on the strength of six hits and one Hiram error. The Big Red bats knocked in two more runs in both the fourth and fifth innings. The 19 runs in game one marked the most by a Big Red team since they scored 26 times in a 2009 victory over Earlham.

All nine starters recorded a hit for Denison, with eight players registering multiple-hit performances. Senior Andrew Touhy led the charge with a 3-for-3 day at the plate with five RBIs and four runs scored. Freshman Tucker Davison logged two hits and drove in four, while Evan Flax, Charlie Apfelbach and Ryan Mulligan each had two hits and three runs. Apfelbach and Mulligan also combined to drive in three runs. Juniors Zac Lewinski, Georgie Montes and Nick Marsit all had a pair of hits and two RBIs.  Lewinski and Montes each scored twice, while Montes also swiped his 11th base of the season.

Senior Connor Murphy picked up his sixth victory of the season after tossing four innings of three-hit, six-strikeout ball. Freshman Charlie Binford tossed three hitless innings with a strikeout, while JT Trimble and Royce Park each had a hitless frame to complete the shutout.

The nightcap of the doubleheader was more competitive in the early stages of the game.  Denison took the early lead when Mulligan knocked in Montes with a base hit through the right side. However, the Terriers answered with singles runs in the second and third innings thanks to RBI singles by Ryan Fedor and Jim Jaksa. Trailing by a run, the Big Red manufactures three runs behind two hits and an error in the fifth to regain a 4-2 advantage.  Mulligan drove in Apfelbach and Flax with another single through the right side. The junior shortstop came around to score the third run of the inning on a base hit by Lewinski.

Hiram regained the momentum and the lead with a four-run sixth. Mark Leone scored the first run on a catcher's interference call, while a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher allowed Shane Haidet to score. Jeff Segal delivered a two-run single up the middle that broke the 4-4 tie.

As quickly as the Terriers regained the lead, the Big Red offense answered with a five spot in the bottom of the sixth to take a 9-6 advantage.  Flax got things going with an RBI double. After a hit by pitch loaded the bases, Marsit came around to score on a wild pitch by Tanner Gilchrist. Flax also scored on the play thanks to an errant throw by catcher Tim Calhoun. Another wild pitch by Nate Weiss allowed Apfelbach to touch the dish, while a single to shallow right by Lewinski drove in Touhy. Hiram got a run back in the seventh, but two runs in both the seventh and eighth secured the series win for the Big Red.

Coming off a 20-hit performance in the opener, the Denison bats remained hot as they pounded out 19 more in game two. For the second-consecutive game, every starter got a hit and eight of those hitters had multi-hit games. Mulligan and Lewinski each had three hits. The duo also combined to drive in six of DU's 13 runs. Montes finished the day with a pair of hits, an RBI, three runs and a stolen base, while Davison had two hits and two runs. Flax, Apfelbach and Touhy all logged two hits, an RBI and two runs, while Marsit touched the dish one time and pounded out two singles.

Freshman reliever Connor Hanrahan (pictured left) picked up his first-collegiate win after surrendering one run on two hits with one strikeout in 1.1 innings.  Fellow freshman Johnny Funkhouser closed out the game with two hitless innings of work.  DU starter Kyle Colgain allowed six runs (five earned) on 10 hits in 5.2 innings.

Denison improves to 20-18 on the year and 14-4 in the NCAC, while Hiram falls to 14-19 and 7-11 in conference play.  Because the NCAC Crossover Series is part of the regular season, the two teams will play the third-and-final game of the series on Sunday at Big Red Field in Granville. The first pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.