GRANVILLE, Ohio (May 18, 2024) – After a 15-1 win against fourth-seeded Hanover College to open the Granville Regional on Friday, the No. 2 nationally-ranked and top-seeded Denison University baseball team improved to 2-0 in the NCAA Division III Regional Baseball Tournament with a 26-7 win over No. 23-ranked and second-seeded Rowan University on Saturday. The Big Red will now advance to the Regional Championship game on Sunday with a trip to their first-ever Super Regional on the line. It will be Denison's fourth straight appearance in the regional championship game.

Playing on its home field but as the visiting team on the scoreboard for the first time this season, Denison looked to take advantage of a leadoff walk by Jack Lutte, a hit by pitch by Eric Colaco, a wild pitch by Rowan to move Lutte to third base and then the 40th stolen base of the season by Colaco to put two runners into scoring position with nobody out.

With one out, Jake Welsch delivered a two-run double down the left field line to give the Big Red a first-inning lead for the second game in a row at the regional, and then with two outs, Welsch scored on an RBI-single to left field by Cade Nowik to make it 3-0.

The first inning continued with a double to right field by Owen Wilson, again putting two runners into scoring position and setting up a two-run single to right center by senior catcher Colin Ravin.

Denison batted around in the first inning as Lutte and Colaco both added an RBI-single to right field to chase the Rowan starting pitcher, Zach Coluccio (5-3), and make it a seven-run, six hit top of the first inning that featured five two-out hits by the Big Red and two hit batters and a walk by Coluccio.

After a leadoff single against Nick Falter in the bottom of the first, a groundball to Alex Vasquez started a 4-6-3 double play, and then Vasquez made another strong defensive play on a slow chopper for the final out of the opening inning.

It was an 8-0 Big Red lead after a sacrifice fly to deep center field by Wilson in the top of the second inning, and after Rowan cut its deficit to five (8-3) after three innings, an error at third base by the Profs eventually led to an unearned run for Denison in the top of the fourth as an RBI-single to left field by Ravin scored a speedy Erik Sundgren from second base to make it 9-3.

In a 9-4 ballgame in the bottom of the fifth and with Rowan threatening to score for the fourth inning in a row with two runners on base and just one out, Michael Gray (4-0) dug down deep and got back-to-back called strike threes to put up a zero in the inning.

Denison responded to Gray's heroics by all but putting the game to bed with a 10-run, seven-hit top of the sixth inning that ended with a standup two-run triple down the left field line by Sundgren and a two-run home run to left field by Nowik.

That made it 19-4, and the Big Red would add six more runs over the course of the seventh and eighth innings to go up 25-4.

By the end of the game, 11 different players had at least one hit for the Big Red while eight of the nine players in the starting lineup had at least two hits.

As a team, Denison hit nine doubles by eight different players.

Leading the way with five hits at the plate (5-for-7), five RBI's, four runs scored and two doubles was Ravin.

Welsch was 4-for-6 with four RBI's and three runs scored.

Nowik was 3-for-5 with four RBI's, three runs scored, a home run and a double.

Sundgren also finished with four runs scored and three stolen bases while Wilson was 3-for-6.

Gray earned the win on the mound for Denison, allowing no hits hit through two innings of work while striking out four.

It is the fourth time Denison has put up at least 26 runs in a game in program history, doing so most recently in a 26-11 win over Earlham College on April 25, 2009.

Next up, Denison (41-6 overall) will play the winner of Rowan and Hanover in the regional championship game, which is slated to begin at 12 p.m. on Sunday, May 19.