WILMINGTON, Ohio -- The Heidelberg University baseball team closed out the regular season with a sweep of the Fighting Quakers of Wilmington College. HU scored 14 runs in each game, winning the opener 14-1, and outlasting the hosts in the nightcap, 14-11.
Heidelberg improved to 23-15-1 overall, 20-14-1 in the standings, and has unofficially claimed a spot in next week's six-team Ohio Athletic Conference tournament.
The Student Princes have beaten the Quakers 22 straight times, dating back to 2010.
GAME ONE: BERG 14 WILM 1 (7 innings)
Heidelberg opened the scoring in the second with a pair of runs.
Marc Ochoa singled and moved to third on a base hit by
Eric DeVore.
Cayden Rollins delivered an RBI single to right, plating Ochoa. A throwing error on a potential double play allowed DeVore to score.
In the third, Ochoa hit a three-run homer down the left field line, pushing the HU lead to 5-0.
One inning later, it was
Zach Doran's turn to hit a three-run bomb. The homer -- his first of the season -- put HU up 8-0.
The Student Princes erupted for five in the fifth inning. Rollins,
Deaunte Fleming,
Reece McNeely and
Aidan Corrigan all had run-scoring singles in the frame.
Down 13-0, the Fighting Quakers scored their lone tally of the game in the fifth.
Heidelberg's final run came in the seventh.
Stephen Currie tripled and scored on a single by
Seth Scoville.
Brady Knizner (2-0) earned the victory with five innings of work. He allowed five hits and struck out four.
Ridge Clark and
Jackson Armbrecht both worked an inning of scoreless relief.
GAME TWO: BERG 14 WILM 11
The Berg scored 10 runs on four hits in the opening inning of the nightcap.
Tyler Smith was hit by a pitch, Mark walked, then Ochoa hit an RBI single. DeVore was hit, Rollins hit an infield single that drove in a run, then Fleming hit a sacrifice fly for the second out. After
Kyle Jenkins singled to load the bases,
Robert Hunt, Doran and Smith all drew RBI walks. On the first pitch of the next at bat, Mark blasted a grand slam -- his second slam of the weekend.
Mark followed up the grand slam with an RBI single to left center in the third.
Down 11-0 in the final game of their season, Wilmington did not go quietly. The Quakers scored three in the fourth and six times in the fifth -- closing to within two at 11-9.
Heidelberg responded after the six-run inning with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth. Mark led off with a double to right, then moved to third on an infield single by
Alex McRandal.
Camden Farley drove in a run with a single through the left side. Later, Clark drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.
The pesky Quakers scored single runs in the seventh and the eighth, cutting Heidelberg's lead to 13-11.
In the top of the ninth, the Tricolor scored their final run of the day. Rollins doubled and scored on another triple by Currie.
Cameron Deemer (Sv, 5) earned the save with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
Jake Hall (3-2) earned the win, throwing three innings of scoreless baseball.
UP NEXT:
Heidelberg will have to wait to see which seed they will be in next week's tournament. In all likelihood, HU will be the No. 5 seed and will face Baldwin Wallace in Berea on Wednesday. The official seedings will be released Sunday evening by the league office.
