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Box Score 2 Wabash fell into a tie with Ohio Wesleyan and Dension in the North Coast Athletic Conference West Division standings after losing two games at DePauw University Sunday afternoon. The Tigers claimed game one 6-0 before winning game two 10-5.
The losses dropped the Little Giants to 4-6 in West division games, while OWU and the Big Red split a double-header in Granville to also move to 4-6 for the season. The 14th-ranked DePauw team clinched the top spot in the division and an berth in the upcoming NCAC Tournament in Chillicothe, Ohio. The second-place team in the division will also earn a spot in the four-team tourney, along with the first- and second-place teams from the East Division.
DePauw (27-5, 12-2 NCAC West) scored the only it would need in game one on the second pitch of the ball game, when sophomore Zach Starr launched a pitch over the left field fence for a leadoff homer. Senior
Andrew Swart took the loss for Wabash, working six innings while allowing six runs on eight hits with one walk and three strikeouts. The Little Giants managed just three hits — singles by
Montana Timmons,
John Pennington, and
Tyler Hampton — in seven innings. Hobs Donavan walked four and struck out 12 in the winning effort for DePauw.
The Little Giants' offense returned in game two, thanks in part to solo homers by Timmons and
Robby Hechinger. Hechinger launced his first career long ball in the third inning to cut the DePauw lead to 3-1, but the Tigers rallied for three runs in the bottom half of the frame. Timmons' solo shot followed in the fourth to make it 6-2, but another run came home for DePauw in response to stretch the lead back to four runs.
A two-run double by Pennington in the fifth scored
Tyler Owensby and Hechinger, but Wabash would score only one more run in the eighth inning off a sacrifice fly by
Tyler Hampton for the final run of the game.
Hechinger finished 3-for-4 from the plate in game two, while Timmons and Pennington each collected two hits. Hampton added the eight hit in the contest for the Little Giants.
JT Miller pitched four innings with eight hits and walk to surrender seven runs (six earned) along with three strikeouts to take the loss.
Jeff Soller gave up four hits in three innings with two walks and strikeout, but three errors behind him led to three unearned runs for the Tigers.
Luke Zinsmaster allowed one hit with one strikeout in the final inning on the mound. DePauw's Elliot Ross improved to 6-1, earning the win with six innings of five-hit baseball. He gave up four runs and two walks while striking out six batters. Andy Manson recorded two strikeouts and a walk while surrendering two hits and one run in two innings. Alex Sroka pitched the final inning, allowing one hit and a walk to go with one strikeout.
Wabash (13-19, 4-6 NCAC West) will play a non-conference game on Tuesday evening against the University of Chicago at the US Steelyard in Gary, Indiana. The first pitch is slated for 7 p.m. (CDT). The Little Giants return to Wabash Ballpark on Saturday for the beginning of a key divisional series agains Denison.
