Eastlake, Ohio: Following the end of a historic 44-game win streak, the No. 1 Denison Big Red faced the Blue Jays of Johns Hopkins University in an elimination game at the College World Series. In a day that saw every top seed fall, the Big Red dropped to East Texas Baptist 5-1, while the Blue Jays fell to Baldwin Wallace 11-4
Sophomore Cooper Marrs was surgical on the mound, striking out nine and allowing zero runs over 7.0 innings. The offense exploded for 13 hits and tallied eight runs to down Johns Hopkins, led by Max Fishbein and Jack Lutte with three hits. With the win, Denison moves to 46-2 on the season and will face the loser of East Texas Baptist and Baldwin Wallace. The Blue Jays end their season with a 38-12 record.
CWS Bracket 1 Game 4: No. 1 Denison 8, No. 4 Johns Hopkins 0
It took 97 days for the Big Red to drop their second game of the season. Following the 5-1 loss, the Big Red faced elimination against the Blue Jays of Johns Hopkins University.
Sophomore Cooper Marrs got his eighth start of the year on the bump for the Big Red. The righty blazed through the first frame, retiring three straight and picking up his first strikeout of the day.
In Denison's first at bat, they knocked more hits and scored more runs than they did in the entirety of the CWS opener. The leadoff trio of Eron Vega, Jack Lutte, and Erik Sundgren all reached with base hits with Sundgren recording the first RBI of the game. A sacrifice fly from Jack Rollo notched the second run of the inning to take a 2-0 lead. Max Fishbein and Kelly Crittenberger also reached with hits.
With the wind strong from centerfield, both defenses were able to escape the strong barrels of both lineups with balls in the air getting caught. After the early two-spot from the Big Red, the scoreboard showed zeroes through the top of the fifth inning. Both teams made loud contact but weren't able to make it count. Marrs was lights out, surrendering only two hits and striking out seven over that span.
The bottom of the fifth is when the dangerous Denison lineup was able to strike again. Back at the top of the order, Vega and Lutte led off the inning with base hits. A deep fly into center by Sundgren moved runners to the corners. With a fresh count and one out, Fishbein executed a perfect squeeze to extend the Denison lead to 3-0. A single from Jack Rollo followed to load the bases and a hard hit grounder from Kelly Crittenberger plated the Big Red's fourth run.
In the top of the sixth inning, the Denison defense shined, as Marrs got two quick outs with one strikeout. The third batter of the frame worked his way to a full count and laced a line drive into the gap between first and second however, Vega flashed the leather and laid out to end the inning and electrify the Big Red fans.Â
In the top of the seventh, Marrs capped off his magnificent outing with a looking strike three, his ninth of the day. Over 7.0 innings, Marrs allowed two hits, one walk, and struck out nine. In the home half of the inning, the Big Red packed their final punch, plating four runs on three hits and an error. A pair of base hits from Lutte and Fishbein put runners at the corners to set up an RBI from Rollo. Kelly Crittenberger drew a walk before a towering fly ball from Andrew Fazio forced an error and gave the Big Red another run. With two outs, Nate Lloyd smoked a line drive into left center that cleared the bases and gave Denison an 8-0 lead.
Following Marrs was Ryan Paganelis. Paganelis set the Denison single-season relief appearance record and tied the overall appearance record with his 28th showing on the bump for Denison. The senior righty mowed through the eighth and ninth frames to secure the Big Red victory and keep the season moving.
Marrs earned the win to move to 6-0 on the year. The duo of Marrs and Paganelis kept the national leader in homers to only three hits on the day and zero runs. The last time the Blue Jays were held scoreless was last season against Denison on March 18, 2025, when the Big Red won 2-0.
In the box, the lineup knocked 13 base hits. Fishbein was a perfect 3-3 and Lutte went 3-5. Rollo and Vega also collected multiple hits. Sundgren drew his 39th walk of the season, tying the Denison single-season record. Fazio, while 0-4, was left on base four times in the win.
Up Next: Denison will face elimination again tomorrow, Sunday, May 31, against the loser of East Texas Baptist and Baldwin Wallace. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.
