The Denison baseball team tried to match Heidelberg's five-run fifth-inning in their final at-bat of the game. After putting up three runs, Heidelberg pitcher Cory Jacobs retired three-straight batters to secure a 6-4 victory for the Student Princes on Saturday in Tiffin, Ohio.

Already ahead 1-0 heading into the fifth, Heidelberg made the most of four hits and two hit batters as they struck for five runs to build a 6-0 lead.

In the next half inning, the Big Red offense scored their first run of the afternoon. After reaching base via one-out single and stealing second, junior Eric Zmuda moved to third on an infield hit by Tanner Johnson. Zmuda completed his 360-foot journey by scoring on a Kyle Fluharty wild pitch.

Entering the top of the ninth, DU needed to score five times to force a bottom part of the inning. Johnson led off the frame by drawing a five-pitch walk. Senior Duncan Moran followed with a pinch-hit single through the right side. With two-on and no outs, junior Phil Papaioannou ripped a double to left center that scored Johnson and moved Joe LaPlaca, who entered the game as a pinch runner for Moran, to third base. Senior Brandon Morgan made it four-straight hits in the inning with a single up the middle that drove in LaPlaca and Papioannou.

Senior Jake Meegan almost made it five-consecutive hits, but a diving catch by a hard charging Derek Hug in right took away Meegan's third hit of the game. Jacobs fanned the next batter and induced a game-ending ground ball to short that ended the contest.

Zmuda and Morgan both finished 3-for-4 at the dish. Morgan drove in a pair, while Zmuda scored a run. Papaioannou logged two hits, including a double, knocked in a run and scored another, while Meegan also had two this. Freshman Mikey Rivera suffered his first loss of the season after surrendering six runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and four hit batters. The duo of Connor Hanrahan and Perley Provost combined to scatter three this and strikeout six across four innings out of the pen.

Alex Manner, Clayton Wielinski and Jacobs all recorded two hits to lead the Berg. Wielinski and Evan Long each had two RBIs. Fluharty picked up the win after giving up one run on eight hits with six strikeouts in six innings of work.

The loss drops Denison to 7-3, while Heidelberg improves to 8-10 this season. The Big Red returns to action next Tuesday (March 29) when they begin a home-and-home series with Ohio Northern University. Tuesday's game in Ada, Ohio will begin at 4 p.m., while Wednesday's contest in Granville is scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch.