GRANVILLE, Ohio (April 14, 2024) – In a top-25 nationally-ranked nonconference matchup, the No. 2 Denison University baseball team hosted and came out on top over No. 22 Case Western Reserve University by a final score of 8-5 on Sunday evening at Big Red Baseball Field.

Case was coming into the game after putting up 28 runs against Ohio Wesleyan University earlier in the day, so the potential was there for this to be a high-scoring affair, and it sure started that way with at least one run in each half inning through the first three innings of the game.

Down 5-3 heading into the bottom of the third inning, Denison put up a five spot.

It all started with a hit by pitch by Jake Welsch, the third hit by pitch of the first three innings by one of Case's best starting pitchers, Archer Stankowski (5-2).

Owen Wilson followed with a walk to put the tying run on base, and then making his first start of the season, Eli Aronson deposited an RBI-single into the right center field gap to score Welsch and make it 5-4.

Then after another hit by pitch by Stankowski, this time drawn by Kuyper Lashutka, a bases-loaded walk by Jake Blozy scored Wilson to tie the game at 5-5 and chase Stankowski from the game.

Things would not get better for the Spartans, however, as the new pitcher, Jackson Brewer, was called for a balk on his first pitch attempt, allowing Aronson to score what would go on to be the winning run.

The five-run inning for the Big Red was capped off by a two-run single to left field by Jack Lutte to score both Lashutka and Blozy.

After coming in to pitch with the bases loaded and nobody out in the top of the third inning, Michael Gray (1-0) got three straight outs on a flyout to center field and back-to-back strikeouts. From there, Gray limited the Spartans to just two hits over the next five innings to right the ship for the Big Red pitching staff.

Gray finished with eight strikeouts in his six innings pitched and did not walk a single batter.

George Viebrock came on in the ninth inning and got a called strike three for out number one before recording his fourth save of the season.

After 13 runs combined between the two teams in the first three innings, the next six innings were scoreless.

Offensively, Denison was limited to just seven hits by three different players as Lutte was 3-for-5 with two RBI's and a double from the top of the lineup while Colaco was 2-for-5 with two RBI's and a double from the No. 2 spot. Aronson was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a double as well.

Denison improved to 25-3 overall while Case fell to 24-7.

Next week will see the Big Red host DePauw University starting at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17, before remaining at home to host Senior Day against Hiram College starting again at 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 20.