ADA, Ohio (March 21, 2024) – Jack Rollo hit a game-winning two-run home run during his first-career at bat in the top of the 10th inning and pitched the final three innings to earn the win on the mound as No. 6 Denison University won 7-5 at Ohio Northern University on Thursday. The victory improves the Big Red's record to 13-2 entering their first two home games of the season.

It was the first meeting between Denison and ONU (6-8 overall) since 2019, and was the sixth straight win for the Big Red in the series.

It was also ONU's home opener, which was ultimately spoiled when down a run in the top of the ninth inning, Eric Colaco smacked a leadoff triple to center field and scored just one batter later on a sacrifice fly to right field by Jack Lutte to help send the game into extra innings.

In the bottom of the ninth, ONU got a leadoff double to right field against Rollo but was unable to advance the runner.

Then in the top of the 10th inning, it was Owen Wilson getting on base with a one-out single up the middle, just one at bat before Rollo stepped up to the plate and came up with a line drive homer to right center field to help his own cause.

In the bottom of the 10th, three straight two-out walks by Rollo loaded the bases and put the tying run on second base, but a fielder's choice to third base ended the game.

In addition to his first-career hit and home run as a freshman, Rollo would finish with three innings pitched allowing one hit, no runs, four walks and two strikeouts to improve to 2-0 on the season.

Colaco finished 2-for-4 with a double and a triple while Wilson was 2-for-4 with three runs scored.

Denison led 3-0 earlier in the game as Jake Blozy hit a two-out, two-run single to center field in the top of the fourth inning, and then after Robbie Lee got a groundout to shortstop to strand the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, a leadoff double by Colaco was followed two batters later by an RBI-double to center field by Noah Leib in the top of the fifth inning.

However, the Big Red had a runner thrown out at third for the first out of the fifth inning and then saw a runner caught stealing for out number two before leaving a potential run on third base, and that came back to bite them as ONU scored four runs on three hits in its half of the inning.

The fifth inning for the Polar Bears started with back-to-back singles before a walk to load the bases and a hit by pitch by the new pitcher, Manny Nager, to score the first run. Two batters later, a bases-clearing double to center field scored three runs and gave ONU a 4-3 advantage.

Denison proceeded to load the bases with one out in the next half inning after a leadoff walk by Wilson, a one-out walk by Blozy and a hit by pitch drawn by Alex Vasquez, all leading to a sacrifice fly to left field by Colaco to score Wilson and tie the game.

Then after Leib hit a one-out single through the left side and stole second base in the top of the seventh, he was ultimately stranded at second. In the bottom half of the seventh, a one-out walk and an error by the new Big Red pitcher, Ryan Starr, put a ONU runner at third base with just one out, setting up a sacrifice fly to center field to score what was the go-ahead run at the time for the Polar Bears.

Next up, Denison will play at home for the first time this season as the Big Red host Clavin University for a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. on Saturday, March 23. It will be the first meeting between the two teams since a three-game road sweep for the Big Red to start their 2016 campaign.