DELAWARE, Ohio – The Ohio Wesleyan University baseball team sprung back into conference play on Wednesday, hosting Kenyon for a doubleheader.
Parker Tomlin dominated game one, racking up a career-high 10 strikeouts in a complete-game effort to secure the 6-1 win. The Owls bounced back in game two, using a four-run fourth inning to secure an 8-5 victory.
Ohio Wesleyan moves to 13-20 on the season, and 2-8 in NCAC play. Kenyon moves to 13-19 overall, with a 2-9 mark in conference competition.
GAME ONE: OHIO WESLEYAN 6, KENYON 1
The Bishops came out the gates swinging, as a pair of singles by
Holden Tomlin and
Michael Malone quickly put runners on first and third.
Alex Snyder drove Tomlin in with a ground ball to shortstop. Two batters later,
Nik Hilton ripped an RBI double to right center that scored Malone to make it 2-0.
After a quiet second and third, a
Luke Johnson single in the fourth plated
Nate Colyer. In the top of the fifth, the Owls got on the board courtesy of a leadoff home run by Parker Ellis. However, the Bishop's offense caught fire in the bottom half.
Zane Vitense kickstarted the inning with a single before Hilton followed suit with another double.
Colton Moone was next, and chose the perfect moment for his first career long ball, clearing the bases with a three-run blast down the right-field line to extend the lead to 6-1.
Parker Tomlin continued to dominate after the fifth, allowing only four hits the rest of the way. Both offenses remained silent through the final frames, resulting in a 6-1 game one victory for the Bishops.
Tomlin (W, 6-2) had a career day on the mound, throwing his first collegiate complete game alongside a career-high 10 strikeouts. He allowed just one run on seven hits.
Three Bishops recorded multi-hit games, as Hilton, Johnson, and Vitense all went 2-for-4. Hilton added one RBI and one run scored. Johnson recorded one RBI. Vitense came around to score once.
Moone went 1-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored.
Holden Tomlin and Colyer both finished 1-for-3 with a run scored.
Malone had one hit in four appearances, and came around to score once.
Snyder finished with one RBI.
GAME TWO: OHIO WESLEYAN 5, KENYON 8 (8 INN.)
Kenyon wasted no time in game two, taking a 1-0 lead in the first after a solo home run with two away. However, the Bishops answered in the bottom half when
Alex Snyder launched his eighth home run of the season to tie things at one apiece. The Owls regained the lead in the second after a throwing error plated a runner.
After a scoreless third, Kenyon scored four runs on one hit and four Ohio Wesleyan errors to make it 6-1 in the top of the fourth. In the seventh, the Owls tacked on two more insurance runs courtesy of four singles.
OWU's comeback efforts shifted into high gear in the bottom of the seventh, as back-to-back walks and a single loaded the bases with nobody out.
Luke Johnson was then hit by a pitch to score
Nik Hilton.
Matt Spencer continued the rally with an infield hit that plated
Colton Moone, cutting the deficit to 8-3. The surge continued with a
Marcus Suwinski sacrifice fly to center field that scored
Nate Colyer. Johnson then scampered home on a wild pitch, capping the scoring and trimming the deficit to 8-5.
The top half of the eighth was quiet for Kenyon, but thunder and lightning struck in the bottom half after a leadoff double by Hilton. This caused the game's third weather delay at 6:36 p.m., which ultimately led to the decision to conclude the game. Ohio Wesleyan dropped game two, 8-5.
Zane Vitense (L, 2-5) got the nod in game two, going 3.1 innings and striking out three.
J.J. Earley relieved Vitense, throwing 1.2 innings and punching out two batters. Tyler Matthews was next, also throwing 1.2 innings and mowing down two.
Logan Schnell threw 0.1 innings and struck out one batter.
Hank Holman pitched the final inning, punching out one.
Hilton recorded two of the Bishops' five hits in game two, finishing 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Colyer went 1-for-3 and came around to score once.
Snyder finished with one hit in four appearances, adding one RBI and one run scored.
Spencer went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
UP NEXT
The Bishops return to the diamond on Saturday, as they travel to Oberlin for a conference doubleheader. First pitch is set for 12:00 p.m., with game two getting underway at 3:00 p.m.
