TIFFIN -- The Heidelberg University baseball team swept a key conference doubleheader, beating Baldwin Wallace University, 4-0 and 5-2. Strong pitching, superb defense and two mammoth home runs sealed the wins for the Student Princes.

Heidelberg improved to 15-10 overall, 5-3 in the wide-open Ohio Athletic Conference. Baldwin Wallace dropped to 14-12, 3-7.

THE STARS

Parker Fronk -- 3 hits, HR, 2B, 4 RBI

Darrin Shrik -- 2 hits, HR, 2 RBI, Full-extension diving catch in right center

Alex Simun -- 7 IP, win, 4 hits, 0 runs

Marc Ochoa - 3 IP, win, 1 hit, 0 runs

GAME ONE: Heidelberg 4 Baldwin Wallace 0

Sharp pitching and the long ball helped HU take game one of the OAC twinbill.

Cory Jacobs worked a one out walk in the second, and moved to second on a tapper back to the mound. With two outs, Darrin Shirk lifted a sinking fly ball to center that dropped to score Jacobs from second.

In the bottom of the third, the Student Princes plated two more runs with two outs. After Evan Long singled up the middle, sophomore Parker Fronk crushed a home run to right field for a 3-0 lead.

Shirk stayed hot at the plate with a solo home run to straightaway centerfield in the bottom of the fourth inning. The blast was the junior's team leading fourth of the season.

Starter Alex Simun was fantastic through six innings of work, but the senior ran into some trouble in the seventh. Two hit batters and a walk loaded the bases for BW with one out. Simun induced an infield fly for the second out of the inning. Chase Knodle sent a line drive to right field, but Alex Manner made a jumping grab to end the threat and leave the bags loaded.

Simun went seven innings, scattering four hits to earn his third win of the season.

Freshman Cameron Deemer pitched the final two innings, allowing one hit and striking out a pair.

GAME TWO: Heidelberg 5 Baldwin Wallace 2

Baldwin Wallace wasted no time getting on the board in game two. A leadoff bunt single followed by another single put runners at the corners. A two out single to left gave BW a 1-0 lead.

A single, a walk, and a hit by pitch loaded the bases in the third for Fronk. The first baseman send a ball just inside the third base bag and into the left field corner to plate Joe Walton and Matt Psychas for a 2-1 advantage.

The Yellow Jackets evened the score in the fourth after a four-pitch walk and a wild pitch moved the runner to second. On a pickoff attempt, starting pitcher Zach Doran threw the ball into centerfield, allowing the runner to motor to third. On the same play an error by the center fielder pushed the run across to knot the game at 2.

A Joey Rydzewski and a Psychas walk out two runners on for the Berg in the fifth. A wild pitch advanced both to second and third. With two outs, Jacobs rapped an 0-2 single to right to plate the pair and give the home team a 4-2 advantage.

Marc Ochoa (2-2), Brady Ansara and Anthony Hajdu combined for five innings of scoreless relief of Doran. The defense behind the relievers was exceptional -- including a sensational diving catch by Shirk on a line drive to right center by Trent Kaltenbach.

BW's biggest threat came in the eighth when they had two basehits. Two long flyballs were tracked down on the warning track before Hajdu entered and struck out Spencer Badia.

Pinch runner Ryan Marasti scored an insurance run in the eighth. Running after Kyle Slovick singled, Marasti broke for second on a hit-and-run. Batter Alex Manner sent a high chopper to third and was thrown out by Badia. Marasti never stopped running, drawing a wild throw from first baseman Cole Nieto. Marasti scored as the ball rolled down the left field line.

Hajdu worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of the season.

QUICK HITS WITH FITZ

Head coach Chad Fitzgerald on performance by the pitchers: "Every guy we ran on the mound was able to mix pitches and throw to both sides of the plate, which kept them off balance on a day with the wind blowing out."

Fitzgerald on Alex Simun: "Alex has really turned his season around ... He seems more relaxed on the mound, not putting so much pressure on himself. He's thrown really well this last three or four outings."

Fitzgerald on Shirk's day: "That was the first home run I've seen go over the center portion of the fence by the batter's eye in my 10 years here ... In the grand scheme of things, his diving catch was probably more important because it halted their momentum at a pivotal moment in the game."

Fitzgerald on Fronk: "Parker has really settled into the heart of the order ... He's one of the hardest guys to strike out in the nation, and he's swinging a good bat ... It's good to see him driving the ball."

UP NEXT

Heidelberg will travel to Marietta College (9-10, 4-2 OAC) on Friday for a doubleheader with the Pioneers. Game times are scheduled for 1 and 4 p.m.