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CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (May 10, 2024) – The No. 2 nationally-ranked and second-seeded Denison University baseball team fell 4-3 against the top-seeded Wittenberg University Tigers to open the day on Friday, but the Big Red came back strong in the final game of the day as Denison defeated fourth-seeded Kenyon College 14-1 to advance to the NCAC Tournament Championship game on Sunday.
 
Game 1 (No. 2 Denison 3, Wittenberg 4):

• Wittenberg scored a run in the bottom of the first inning and threatened to add to its lead with just one out and the bases loaded, but a great turn by Cade Nowik at third base started the 5-4-3 double play to get the Big Red out of the inning.
• The Big Red defense turned another double play in the third inning on a lineout the second baseman Alex Vasquez, who threw over to first for the second out of the inning.
• Wittenberg had five hits through the first three innings while Denison just had one, but in the top of the fourth inning, Denison was able to tie the game at 1-1 as Jake Welsch led off with a single to left field, stole second base and then scored on a one-out double down the right field line by Nowik.
• The Tigers, however, answered back with two runs on three hits in the bottom of the fourth inning and were able to chase Denison's starting pitcher, Nick Falter (2-1), from the game after each of their first four batters in the inning reached base. The inning started with back-to-back singles to start it off before an error at third base allowed a run to score. Then the fourth at bat resulted in an RBI-single to center field to make it a 3-1 Tigers' lead and bring in Michael Gray to pitch, who responded with three straight outs and a swinging strikeout to strand two runners in scoring position. Falter finished with three innings pitched allowing eight hits, three runs and zero walks.
• Denison cut its deficit in half in the top of the fifth inning as Jack Lutte led off with a single to right field and Eric Colaco walked before a sacrifice bunt by Noah Leib to move both runners into scoring position. Lutte would then score on a single to shortstop by Welsch, making the score 3-2, but Colaco was unable to advance to third, and that came back to bite the Big Red as they ultimately left two runners in scoring position.
• Denison again got two runners into scoring position in the sixth inning after a two-out single up the middle by Lutte and a double down the right field line by Colaco, but a popout to the second baseman in right center field ended the inning.
• Wittenberg's Nick Cunningham (4-2), a 2023 First-Team All-NCAC selection, finished with six innings pitched allowing seven hits, two runs, five walks and six strikeouts.
• Pitching for the second day in a row, Gray was able to eat up some important innings in the middle of the game for the Big Red, pitching four innings and keeping Denison's deficit at just one run (3-2) entering the final two innings.
• In the bottom of the eighth however, a leadoff walk issued by Gray led to an insurance run by the Tigers that made it a two-run deficit (4-2) for Denison entering the ninth inning.
• In the top of the ninth, Lutte led off, fought off multiple pitches with two strikes, and fought to a 3-2 count before getting his pitch and delivering a solo home run to right field, his first-career home run, to make the score 4-3.
• Lutte was a very effect 4-for-5 with two runs scored and a home run from his spot at the top of the lineup.
• Colaco followed with the next at bat and grounded to third base, and after Colaco's speed drew a throw up the first base line, the Wittenberg first baseman, Xander Rodriguez, made what was just the first of two game-saving plays in the inning for the Tigers, snagging the ball and just tagging out Colaco before he could reach first base.
• After a single to right field by Leib, Wittenberg's closer, Austin Luther, got a flyout deep to left field by Welsch.
• In the final at bat of the game, Erik Sundgren hit a hard drive into the gap in right center field that looked like it was going to tie the game, but Wittenberg's center fielder, Ben Seibert, left his feet and made the game-saving diving catch to send the Big Red to its first elimination game in the conference tournament since 2019.

 
Game 1 (No. 2 Denison 14, Kenyon 1):

• A leadoff double down the right field line and back-to-back groundouts to second base led to the first run of the game for Kenyon in the top of the first inning.
• Denison got a leadoff single to left field by Lutte, followed by a walk to Colaco to put two runners on base with nobody out, but left both runners in scoring position in the bottom of the first.
• Jack Rollo (5-1) got a popout to second base two strand two Kenyon runners in scoring position in the top of the second inning, and then after a great catch in foul territory over by the Big Red bullpen by the left fielder, Colaco, for the first out of the third inning, Rollo picked off a one-out single at first base for the second out.
• Then in the bottom of the third, Denison put up a six-spot on a two-run home run to right field by Leib, a two-out double to left field by Sundgren, an RBI-single to center field by Nowik, an RBI-triple down the right field line by Colin Ravin, and another RBI-triple down the right field line by Owen Wilson. The final run of the inning for Denison was Wilson scoring on a wild pitch.
• After Leib hit his second home run in as many days in the third inning, Lutte hit his second home run of the day in the fourth inning, driving a leadoff home run off the foul pole in right field.
• The Denison offense scored seven more runs on just three hits in the bottom of the fifth, and then the defense did its thing in the top of the sixth as the third baseman, Nowik, made a catch in foul territory up against the Big Red dugout fence for out number one. Then the right fielder, Welsch, made a nice catch on the move for our number two before the second baseman, Vasquez, made a diving stop and throw from shallow right field for the third out.
• Rollo finished with six innings pitched allowing four hits, one run, one walk and three strikeouts, and Jaden Cole, Nate Dinges and George Viebrock each pitched one scoreless inning each the rest of the way.
• Nowik again made an impressive catch in foul territory near the front corner of the Denison dugout for the second out of the top of the seventh inning.
• In the eighth inning, the Big Red defense continued to shine as a drive into the right center field gap was somehow run down by the center fielder, Sundgren, on a full sprint to the warning track.
• There was one more defensive standout for the Big Red in the ninth inning as the catcher, Ravin, was able to make a catch falling backwards behind home plate for the second out of the final inning.
• Five Big Red players scored twice against Kenyon.
• Lutte was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a home run against Kenyon and was a combined 6-for-9 with four runs scored during the day.
• Ravin was 3-for-5 with a double and a triple and Wilson was 3-for-4.
• Nowik was 2-for-5 with three RBI's and Sundgren was 2-for-3 with two walks.
• Colaco reached base in each of his first four at bats of the game and had four stolen bases in the first four innings.

Next up, Denison (37-6 overall) will try to topple Wittenberg (26-15) during the NCAC Tournament Championship game with the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals on the line. The Big Red and the Tigers will square off in the championship starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 23, but it will take back-to-back wins from Denison to extend its NCAC-record to five-straight NCAC Tournament crowns.