Denison baseball closed out its North Coast Athletic Conference West Division schedule with a doubleheader sweep of Wabash College on Tuesday.  The Big Red prevailed 7-5 in game one and 5-3 in game two thanks to a 4-run ninth inning.  With the wins, Denison clinched its third NCAC West Division title in four seasons under head coach Mike Deegan.

The Big Red entered the day needing a sweep to win the division and lock up the No. 1 seed out of the West. 

In game one, DU gave starting pitcher Perley Provost a cushion by scoring three runs in the top of the first behind RBI's from Eric Zmuda, Evan Flax and Jack Blanchard.

The Little Giants added a run in the bottom of the second, but a 2-run homer in the fifth by Denison third baseman Noah Hahn gave DU a 5-1 lead.  In the sixth, Brandon Morgan scored on a passed ball with two outs after doubling to left-center to start the inning.  A sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh by Flax that scored Joe LaPlaca sent Denison into the final half of the inning with a 7-2 lead.

Big Red reliever Connor Hanrahan took over for Provost.  A single and a walk put two runners on base, but he rebounded to retire a pair of Little Giants.  Down to their last out, KJ Zelenika kept things alive with an RBI single.  Andrew Roginski followed with a base hit down the right field line, scoring two more.  With the tying run at the plate, Hanrahan retired Tyler Downing on a fly-out to right field on a 2-2 count.

Provost (4-2) got the victory going six innings scattering eight hits and one earned run.  He walked one and struck out four on 85 pitches.  Tanner Johnson went 2-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored.  Hahn was 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored.  Flax also drove in a pair, going 1-for-2 with a walk.

Wabash starter Bryan Roberts (4-5) took the loss.  He pitched five innings, allowed four earned runs while striking out five.

In the nightcap, Denison trailed the Little Giants3-1 heading into the top of the ninth.  The inning started innocently enough as Ryan Thomas retired Ethan Carlyon and Blanchard to start the inning.  Phil Papaioannou followed with a pinch-hit single to right-center.  Sam Frazen moved Papaioannou to second with a single to center.  Connor Green followed with a pinch-hit RBI single to left-center, scoring Papaioannou.

Wabash went to the bullpen and Johnson kept things alive by loading the bases after reaching first on an error by the Wabash shortstop.  Hahn made the Little Giants pay as he ripped a single to left field, scoring Green and LaPlaca with the tying and go-ahead.  The throw home by the left fielder was off the mark, allowing Johnson to score, giving DU a 5-3 lead.

Senior reliever Adam Goldstein, who entered in the top of the eighth, returned in the ninth looking to close out the comeback.  He got Taylor Canter to ground out but an infield single by the dangerous David Oliger brought the tying run to the plate.  He struck out Leander but a single by Zelenika put runners on the corners with two outs.  The final out came when Erich Lange grounded out to Hahn on a 2-0 count.

Goldstein got the win and improved to 1-2.  He allowed two runs in two innings pitched.  John Troll got the start and pitched 3.1 innings.  He gave up two earned runs off eight hits while striking out two.  Mikey Rivera followed with 3.1 innings pitched.  He allowed only two hits and one earned run while fanning three.

Frazen led Denison at the plate, going 2-for-4.  Johnson was 1-for-4 with a triple, a stolen base and two runs scored. 

Denison will take a 24-11 record into this weekend's pivotal NCAC Crossover Series.  As the top seed out of the West Division, the Big Red will host the No. 4 seed from the East Division, Oberlin College, in a three-game series.  There will be a single game on Saturday and a doubleheader on Sunday.  The team that wins at least two games will advance to next week's NCAC Tournament in Chillicothe, Ohio.

In the other crossover series', Wooster (#1 East) will host Wabash (#4 West).  Ohio Wesleyan (#2 West) will host Kenyon (#3 East) and Allegheny (#2 East) will host DePauw (#3 West). 

Start times for Saturday and Sunday will be determined on Wednesday. 

The senior class of Goldstein, LaPlaca, Morgan, Duncan Moran, Ian Walsh and Jake Meegan leave DU with three division crowns in four seasons.