Scots Hit 40-Win Mark, But Lose NCAC Championship to OWU

Wooster's Oliver Enos catches a foul ball and then leaps over the fence down the right-field line Friday during game two of the NCAC championship series.

GRANVILLE, Ohio – The College of Wooster baseball team reached the 40-win mark for the first time since the 1998 season (40-6), taking game one of the North Coast Athletic Conference championship series 13-4 late Thursday night, however, Ohio Wesleyan University swept a pair of games Friday 10-6 and 12-7 to take the NCAC trophy and the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Div. III Tournament.

Wooster, which had won the previous three NCAC championships, will likely receive an at-large bid to the NCAA regionals with a 40-5 record.

In the opener, the Fighting Scots trailed 1-0 early, but then went up with a four-run third inning and two-run fourth. During the third, Shaun Swearingen (Hilliard, Ohio / Bishop Watterson) and John Quimby (Pittsburgh, Pa. / North Allegheny) had the key hits, with Swearingen belting a two-run homer to left and Quimby also driving in a pair via a double to right-center.

Ohio Wesleyan (24-14) crept back into it via a single tally in the fifth and two more in the sixth, all of which made it a 7-4 game. In the seventh, though, Wooster pulled away, plating six runs. Three of the first four hitters reached by singles to load the bases, and Brandon Boesiger (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio / Cuyahoga Falls) followed with an RBI walk. Matthew Johnson (Orrville, Ohio / Orrville) added a two-run base knock, Swearingen doubled in a run, and Sheldon Steiner (Dalton, Ohio / Central Christian) singled in another.

The Scots’ ace, Adam Samson (Orrville, Ohio / Orrville), continued his undefeated season (10-0), going 6.2 innings. Three of the four runs that came in on him were earned, as all 10 of the Battling Bishops’ hits in that game came off of him. Samson struck out eight without a walk.

Game two saw Ohio Wesleyan jump out to leads of 3-0 after three innings and 6-1 after six before Wooster rallied late. Trailing 7-1 in the bottom of the eighth, the Scots scored three times. Pat Christensen (Cincinnati, Ohio / Sycamore) earned a leadoff walk that frame, followed by back-to-back doubles from Oliver Enos (Charlottesville, Va. / The Covenant School) and Quimby, which knocked out Bishop starter Xander Jones. Wooster would add another run to pull within 7-4, but it also left the bases loaded.

Ohio Wesleyan added what turned out to be three important insurance runs in the top of the ninth, as the Scots would get the tying run to the on-deck circle in the bottom half before the final out was recorded.

Jones was the winning pitcher (6-1), while Matthew Struble notched his first save. Jones left after seven innings, yielding four runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out five.

During the decisive game three, Wooster got off to a quick start with a leadoff inside-the-park home run by Jake Sankal (Mentor, Ohio / Mentor) and another run for a 2-0 lead, but it was all Bishops after that as they pounded out 20 hits and scored in every inning except for the seventh. Ohio Wesleyan was ahead 5-3 after three, then steadily pulled away to leads of 10-3 through six and 12-4 through eight before the Scots put up three in their final at bat.

Middle reliever Tyler Smith was the winning pitcher (5-2), taking over in the fifth and working 4.2 innings. He allowed two earned runs on six hits and two walks, and struck out three Wooster batters.

For the Scots, Anthony Trapuzzano (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Canevin Catholic) and Matt Barnes (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Langley) took their first losses of the year, dropping to 9-1 and 8-1, respectively.

Wooster’s offensive standouts of the NCAC championship series were Enos, who hit .500 (7-for-14) with four runs scored, a double, and two RBI, Skulina, who batted .429 (6-for-14) with three runs, one double, one home run, and two RBI, and Boesiger, who went 3-for-8 with three runs, two doubles, and two RBI while reaching seven other times via six walks and a hit by pitch.

Earning all-tournament honors from the Scots were Samson, Skulina, and Quimby at pitcher, third base, and shortstop, respectively.