Box Score GRANVILLE, Ohio – Second-ranked Denison University's baseball team will need to win twice on Saturday to extend its historic season, as Birmingham-Southern College took the 2024 Granville Super Regional Opener 10-1 on Friday afternoon at Big Red Field.

Denison (42-7) started strong, scoring in the top of the first inning on the strength of what it does best – execute on the bases. Junior left fielder Eric Colaco was in motion on a first-pitch offering to senior right fielder Jake Welsch. Welsch's well-placed single into right center was in the perfect spot to enable Colaco to score all the way from first. That run was Colaco's 79th of the season, moving the Big Red star into the top-15 in Div. III history for single-season runs.

Early walks hurt sophomore right-hander Will Rettig in the bottom of the first inning, where Birmingham-Southern (31-14) took the 2-1 lead. Junior center fielder Eli Steadman and senior second baseman Andrew Dutton both reached on free passes. Senior designated hitter Ian Hancock's sacrifice fly to left center was deep enough to score Steadman and move Hancock to third. Hancock scored the go ahead run on first-year right fielder Charlie Banks' short single to left field.

Denison's defense kept Birmingham-Southern from breaking the game wide open in the middle innings, despite the Panthers tacking on two runs in the bottom of the third inning and three more in the fourth to take a commanding 7-1 lead. Banks' second hit of the day knocked in junior first baseman Jackson Webster. However, Hancock went too far rounding second, enabling Denison sophomore third baseman Cade Nowick to cut off Colaco's throw from left field and fire a strike to sophomore second baseman Alex Vasquez, who applied the tag on Hancock.

Vasquez kept Birmingham-Southern from adding to its six-run lead in the fourth inning, getting to a grounder off the bat of senior left fielder Jakob Zito that was hit slightly up the middle. The slick-fielding second baseman flipped the ball to senior shortstop Owen Wilson for the fielder's choice force out, and that left the bases full of Panthers.

Birmingham-Southern added to its lead in the seventh inning with a three-spot. Denison was unable to make the play on a sacrifice bunt, and that turned into a single and two-base error, scoring two Panther runs. Banks lined a double play to first-year Carson Herman in the seventh inning, and the Big Red second baseman was able to double up Hancock at first. An inning later, Denison's awareness resulted in its second double play of the game, as Nowick alerted senior first baseman Noah Leib, that a Panther left third base early while trying to tag up on a fly ball.

Nowik and senior catcher Colin Raven totaled two hits each to lead Denison. Rettig took a loss for the first time this year, dropping to 9-1. He allowed six runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings.

Banks steered Birmingham-Southern's lineup to success, finishing 2-for-4 with three RBI. Hancock knocked in two as part of a 1-for-2 day, but he also drew two walks. Steadman did his job out of the leadoff spot, scoring three times on the strength of three walks and a base hit. Junior Drake Laroche went the distance, allowing a run on seven hits with seven strikeouts. His record improved to 8-3.

Of note, Colaco, Nowik, and Vasquez all played in their single-season program-record 49th game on Friday for Denison.

Saturday's action at Big Red Field gets underway at 11 a.m., with the if-necessary game to follow approximately 40 minutes after should Denison keep its historic season alive.