GRANVILLE, Ohio (April 6, 2023) – The No. 13 Denison University baseball team won its eighth game in a row with a 7-4 win in nonconference action over Heidelberg University on Thursday at the Big Red Baseball Field.

Denison improved to 17-4 overall and 4-0 at home while Heidelberg fell to 10-12 overall and 0-5 in road games.

Michael Gray made his first career start and got a called strike three to leave the bases loaded in the top of the first inning.

In the second inning, however, Gray's third strikeout was followed by his third walk, and then a double to right field put two runners into scoring position for the freshman leadoff hitter, Braedy Limke, who greeted new pitcher Manny Nager with a three-run home run well over the wall in right field.

Denison's offense, meanwhile, saw its leadoff walk erased on a double play and then left two runners on base in the first inning. Then in the second inning, Ari Fierer led off with a single to left center field, advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a groundout before being tagged out at third on a groundball double play to end the inning.

An error on a failed pickoff attempt came back to bite Nager in the top of the third inning as the runner moved into scoring position and later scored on a two-out single through the right side to make it 4-0.

The Big Red tried to get back into it in the bottom of the third as Alex Vasquez beat out a bunt single to lead it off. Denison continued to benefit from the small-ball approach as after Heidelberg failed to get an out on a bunt by Matt McClements, a bunt single by Eric Colaco led to an errant throw from the Heidelberg third baseman to score both Vasquez and McClements and get the Big Red on the board.

Two batters later, Noah Leib singled through the left side to score Colaco and get the Big Red to within one (4-3), but then with two runners in scoring position, a leaping catch in center field by the Student Princes preserved the one-run lead.

Nager then tossed a quick 1-2-3 top of the fourth inning to get the Big Red offense back to the plate, and after a double steal by Vasquez and McClements got two runners into scoring position with one out, Colaco ripped a double down the left field line and right past the diving third baseman to score both runners and put Denison in front by a score of 5-4.

The bottom of the fourth continued with an RBI-single to right field by Leib to score Colaco and then an RBI-groundout by Jake Welsch as Denison finished the frame with four runs on two hits to take a 7-4 lead.

The top of the fifth inning featured a great stop and throw across the diamond by Fierer at third base before the new pitcher, Ryan Starr, got a 4-6-3 double play to strand a runner in scoring position.

Denison continued to flash the leather in the top of the sixth as shortstop Owen Wilson ran a long way to come up with a ball on a screamer hit behind second base and make the throw to first for out number one, and then back-to-back swinging strikeouts by Starr ended the inning.

Starr did not allow a hit in his 1.2 innings pitched, and then Jacob Pendergraft, Cade Nowik, George Viebrock and Fierer all kept the hitless streak going the rest of the way as the Student Princes were held to without a hit starting after their two-out RBI-hit to make it 4-0 in the third inning, a stretch of 19 outs without a hit.

Entering to pitch with a runner on and one out in the eighth inning, Viebrock got back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning, and then Fierer pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to earn his third save of the season.

Nager earned his first career win after throwing three innings in relief and finishing with a line of three hits, two total runs, one earned run, one walk and five strikeouts.

At the plate, Colaco finished 3-for-5 with two RBI's and two runs scored while Leib was 2-for-3 with two RBI's and Vasquez was 2-for-3 with two runs.

Denison will now set its sights on the weekend as the Big Red continue NCAC play at home against Kenyon College at 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 8. Denison will then play at Case Western Reserve University starting at 12 p.m. on Easter Sunday (Apr. 9).