O'Donnell Leads Scots to Game One Win in NCAC Tourney Semis

Bubba O'Donnell

WOOSTER, Ohio – Bubba O’Donnell (Cincinnati, Ohio / St. Xavier) belted two home runs, including one in The College of Wooster’s nine-run sixth inning, as the senior infielder keyed the Fighting Scots’ 14-7 victory over Ohio Wesleyan University in game one of the teams’ North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal series at Art Murray Field Saturday.

Originally, the best-of-three set was supposed to include two games on Saturday and then a third Sunday, if necessary. A steady rain, though, pushed back the first pitch of Saturday’s opener until 3:41 p.m., so game two will be Sunday at 1 p.m., followed by a decisive game if necessary.

Early on, Ohio Wesleyan (24-16) took advantage of some defensive miscues by Wooster (34-7), plating an unearned run in the first and three in the second. The Fighting Scots put together a three-run inning themselves during the first, keyed by a Matt Groezinger (Upper Arlington, Ohio / Upper Arlington) RBI double to deep right and a two-run single from Dan Skulina (Hinckley, Ohio / Walsh Jesuit), so they only trailed 4-3 after two.

The score remained that way until the bottom of the fourth when O’Donnell, the No. 9 hitter in the lineup, sent a ball well over the left field fence for his third homer this spring and fifth of his career. Two batters later, Jake Sankal (Mentor, Ohio / Mentor) drove a solo shot to center, giving Wooster a 5-4 lead on his fourth home run of the year.

The sixth inning turned out to be the difference in the game. After stranding two runners in the top half, the Scots led off the bottom with a Shane Swearingen (Hilliard, Ohio / Bishop Watterson) single and then O’Donnell turned a sacrifice situation into a bunt for a base hit when he placed the ball past the pitcher and too far away from the first or second baseman. An out, a walk to load the bases, and a sacrifice fly followed, which gave the Battling Bishops a chance to minimize the damage.

However, a balk resulted in another run, making it a 7-4 game, and then the floodgates opened, as Wooster strung together six hits and a walk. Highlighting that stretch, Groezinger had an RBI single, Matthew Johnson (Orrville, Ohio / Orrville) drove in two with a base knock up the middle, and next came the big blows by Swearingen, who doubled to left-center, and O’Donnell, who homered again, this time to centerfield, all of which added up to a 14-4 cushion.

The only remaining scoring came on Scott Wise’s pinch-hit three-run homer in the top of the eighth.

On the mound, Adam Samson (Orrville, Ohio / Orrville) overcame the shaky defense as well as some seeing-eye hits during the first two innings, settling down to get 13 in a row at one point. He went the first seven innings, yielding three earned runs on six hits and one walk, and struck out four while upping his season record to 7-1.

O’Donnell ended up going 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and a walk. The three hits equaled a career high.

Also for the Scots, Sean Karpen (Venetia, Pa. / Peters Twp.) had a 2-for-6 effort out of the leadoff spot, Groezinger produced those two key hits during his 2-for-4, two-RBI outing, Skulina reached in all five of his plate appearances, singling twice with three walks, and Swearingen went 2-for-4 with two RBI.

Ohio Wesleyan’s leadoff man, Joey McDaniel, was the only other to have a multi-hit game, going 2-for-5 with two RBI.