Scots in NCAC Finals Again After Sweeping Denison 2-1, 8-2

Wooster's John Quimby locks on to a ground ball in Saturday's first game against Denison. Quimby fielded the ball and stepped on second to record the game's final out.

WOOSTER, Ohio – The College of Wooster’s pitching staff held Denison University to just nine hits over 18 innings Saturday, as the Fighting Scots, ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Div. III coaches’ poll, started their postseason with a 2-1, 8-2 sweep of the Big Red in one North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal series.

Wooster (39-3) advances to the NCAC championship series for the fourth-straight year, having won it the last three seasons, and will meet an opponent still to be determined May 10-11. The other semifinal pitted Allegheny College at Ohio Wesleyan University, but rain cancelled one of Saturday’s games, so they will continue their series Sunday.

Denison (19-18) may have missed a golden opportunity in its very first at bat, as the first four batters reached base via three walks by Scot pitcher Adam Samson (Orrville, Ohio / Orrville) and an error. However, the Big Red only came away with one run, as Samson induced the next two into a pop fly to shallow right field and a double play.

In the bottom of the second, Wooster took advantage of a Denison mistake in the field to tie the game with an unearned run. With two outs and a runner on first, Dan Skulina (Strongsville, Ohio / Walsh Jesuit) dropped a single into left-center on a hit-and-run play, and the runner came around to score after the ball got past the centerfielder.

The Scots went ahead an inning later when Shaun Swearingen (Hilliard, Ohio / Bishop Watterson) and Sheldon Steiner (Dalton, Ohio / Central Christian) put together back-to-back two-out hits. Swearingen singled sharply up the middle and then Steiner drove a ball deep to the opposite field, clearing the left fielder for an RBI double.

That would be all of the scoring in the opener, as neither offense mounted much of a threat during the final six innings. Samson went the first eight, yielding the one unearned run and just five hits, and he didn’t walk another hitter while striking out four en route to improving to 9-0. Mark Miller (Convoy, Ohio / Crestview) threw a hitless ninth, including two strikeouts, for his sixth save.

The tough-luck loser was J.D. Wyborny (3-3), who gave up two runs, with one being unearned, on seven hits and one walk over seven innings. He set down five Wooster batters on strikes.

During game two, the Scots got some early offense and steadily pulled away to the six-run decision. In the top of the second, Wooster’s first two grounded out, but then the next five would reach base, highlighted by run-scoring singles by Skulina and Jake Sankal (Mentor, Ohio / Mentor), for a 2-0 lead.

The Scots’ third run came in the third on another two-out hit from Skulina, this time a double that plated Pat Christensen (Cincinnati, Ohio / Sycamore), who had singled earlier in the frame.

Wooster built its margin to 6-0 during the fourth inning. After a leadoff walk, four of the next six Scots had base knocks, capped by a John Quimby (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Allegheny) two-bagger that knocked out the Big Red’s starting pitcher.

Denison would get one tally in the bottom of the fourth only to see Wooster answer with single runs in the sixth and ninth innings for an 8-1 lead.

The Scots received another quality start on the mound, as Anthony Trapuzzano (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Canevin Catholic) nearly had a complete game, working 8.1 innings and allowing two runs on four hits and one walks. He struck out six in matching Samson’s record at 9-0.

The offensive leaders on the day were Steiner, who went 5-for-9 with two doubles and two RBI in his final games at Art Murray Field, and Skulina, who was 4-for-7 with two RBI.

Starting times for the NCAC championship series will be announced later this week.