WC baseball picks up first home win since ’14

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The Wilmington College baseball team opened Ohio Athletic Conference action by splitting a doubleheader with Muskingum Saturday at Tewskbury-Delaney Field.

GAME ONE: WILMINGTON 5, MUSKINGUM 3

Freshman Matt Oney, 3-1, (Hillsboro, OH/Hillsboro) was stellar on the mound, limiting Muskingum to two runs (one earned) on three hits over seven innings with two strikeouts and two walks.

Sophomore Ryan Collett (Wilmington, OH/Clinton-Massie) earned his second save of the season, hurling two innings of hitless relief. He did allow an unearned run on two walks and a strikeout.

After the Muskies opened the scoring with a run in the fourth inning, Wilmington claimed the lead with two runs in its portion of the fourth. Sophomore Jake Hyatt (Madeira, OH/Madeira) singled to score Joshua Chua (Lancaster, England/Claremont [CA]), who ripped a two-out double. Hyatt scored on a double steal with junior Jake Robinson (Westerville, OH/South).

Muskingum knotted the score with a run in the sixth inning.

The first three batters reached to start the eighth inning, and Wilmington took the lead by scoring on a one-out error. Sophomore Gage Bley (Harrison, OH/Harrison) brought home two insurance runs with a two-out single.

Hyatt finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Bley was 2-for-3 with two RBI.

It was Wilmington’s first home win since 2014, and the five wins marks the most since 2013.

GAME TWO: MUSKINGUM 11, WILMINGTON 7

Muskingum took advantage of a bout of wildness from the Wilmington bullpen, scoring five runs total in the seventh and ninth innings on just two hits. The Fightin’ Quakers issued three walks and had two wild pitches in those two innings.

Junior Kyle Short (Trenton, OH/Edgewood) broke out of his slump, going 4-for-4 with a double and two runs scored.

Hyatt gave Wilmington the 2-1 lead with a two-run bomb in the first inning as he was 3-for-5 on the day.

After the Fightin’ Muskies reclaimed the lead with three in the second, sophomore Alec Robinette (Lebanon, OH/Little Miami) tied the game with a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the inning.

A RBI groundout by junior Daniel Hayes (Beavercreek, OH/Beavercreek) scored Robinson, who tripled, to give WC a two-run lead.

Muskingum knotted the game with a two-run blast in the fifth, and WC reclaimed its advantage on a sacrifice fly from freshman Nick Silvis (Beavercreek, OH/Indian Lake).

Chua capped the Wilmington scoring with a lead-off homer in the seventh.

Freshman Bryant McCarty, 0-1, (Russia, OH/Russia) took the loss, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits over two innings.

Sophomore Jared Ferenchak (Concord, OH/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin) started and allowed six earned runs on 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings.

HEAD COACH QUOTES

“Matt Oney continues to pitch well,” said Wilmington head coach Dan Cleaver. “He is consistent and he is going to be so much better when he starts getting ahead of hitters. He has a way of coming, no matter what the count, and making the pitch.”

“Great win with some timely hitting, a lot of two-out hits in that first game,” Cleaver said of the first game.

“We still struggle with relief pitching, and it’s beginning to weigh on our position players,” Cleaver said of a bullpen that surrendered five runs with five walks in 4 2/3 innings. “We had a couple errors after a couple walks, and what happens is it’s hard to keep your focus when the guy can’t get the ball over the plate.”

WHAT’S NEXT

Wilmington (5-13 overall) steps away from OAC action 6 p.m. Tuesday, traveling to Springfield to play Wittenberg in a non-conference nine-inning game.

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