CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — The first North Coast Athletic Conference baseball games played on Wabash College's new artificial turf infield at Birdzell Field came against the nation's top-ranked team Wednesday, and No. 1 Denison showed why it sits atop both the D3baseball.com and American Baseball Coaches Association polls by sweeping the Little Giants in a conference doubleheader at Goodrich Ballpark.
The Big Red opened the afternoon with a 10-0 victory in seven innings before completing the sweep with a 27-4 win in game two. Denison, ranked first in both national polls, improved to 21-1 overall and 4-0 in NCAC play, while Wabash fell to 6-17 overall and 1-5 in conference action.
In the opener, Denison seized control immediately with four runs in the top of the first inning. Eron Vega was hit by a pitch to start the game, and the Big Red followed with a string of timely hits, highlighted by Max Fishbein's two-run double to right-center that pushed the lead to 4-0.
The Big Red added two more runs in the second inning on RBI groundout and single combinations from Jack Rollo and Andrew Fazio to stretch the margin to 6-0. Another run-scoring double by Rollo in the fourth made it 7-0 before Denison tacked on single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to complete the scoring.
Wabash threatened in the bottom of the first when Landen Basey singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Will McKinzie. Ben Henke reached on an error and Will Wallace drew a walk to load the bases, but Denison starter Robbie Lee escaped the jam with a strikeout and a flyout to keep the Little Giants off the board.
The Little Giants finished with three hits in game one, getting singles from Basey, Henke, and DJ Mendez. Denison out-hit Wabash 12-3.
Isaac Stallings took the loss after allowing four runs in the opening inning. Connor Lambert, Brendan Boynton, and Nick Wangler followed in relief, combining to limit further damage over the final six innings.
Game two followed a similar script as Denison erupted for six runs in the first inning and four more in the second to build a 10-0 lead before Wabash recorded an out in the bottom half of the second. Nate Lloyd delivered the biggest blow of the opening frame, driving a bases-clearing double to left field as part of a six-run first.
After the Big Red pushed the advantage to 10-0, Wabash answered in the fourth. Wallace singled and advanced to third on a Denison throwing error before Bradley Gilliam was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in the Little Giants' first run of the day.
The Little Giants produced their best offensive inning in the fifth, scoring three times. Caleb Ellspermann walked and Ben Henke followed with a free pass before Parker Smith moved both runners into scoring position. Miles Cvelbar ripped an RBI single to right-center, Jimmy Hawksworth added an RBI single to center, and Cvelbar later scored on a passed ball to trim the margin to 10-4.
Denison quickly answered with two runs in the sixth before exploding for 11 runs in the seventh inning to put the game away and secure the sweep. The Big Red pounded out 24 hits in the nightcap, including three-hit efforts from Carson Herman and Cade Nowik, while Lloyd drove in six runs.
Wabash collected six hits in game two. Wallace went 2-for-2 with a run scored, while Cvelbar drove in one run and scored once. Hawksworth also had an RBI single, and Henke scored in the fifth-inning rally.
Miles Williams was charged with the loss in game two. Trey Pitcock, Jackson Woehr, Bryce Haney, Ethan Kimmerle, Henry Birk, Luke Mayer, and Tanner Turnpaugh all saw time on the mound for the Little Giants in a bullpen-heavy effort.
Wabash returns to NCAC play Saturday with a home doubleheader against Ohio Wesleyan University. First pitch is set for noon at Birdzell Field at Goodrich Ballpark as the Little Giants continue their first homestand on the new artificial turf infield.
