TIFFIN -- The Heidelberg University baseball team opened up Ohio Athletic Conference action with a dominant sweep of visiting Capital University on a pleasant Sunday afternoon at Peaceful Valley. Pounding out 36 hits on the day, The Berg took the opener, 17-3, then won the nightcap, 14-1.
Heidelberg improved to 9-7 overall, 2-0 in the OAC.
The Student Princes bashed six home runs on the day, including a pair by
Adam McVicker.
Lost in the shuffle amid all the offense were superb starts by
Corbin Caplan and
Jackson Powers.
GAME ONE: BERG 17-18-0 CAP 3-8-2
Heidelberg took the lead in the bottom of the second when
Thomas Sauer, who led off with a double to right, scored on a wild pitch. Capital tied it up in the top of the third.
The Student Princes regained the lead in the bottom of the second.
Braedy Limke singled and moved to second on a balk.
Aidan Corrigan planted a double just inside the left field line which allowed Limke to score. Corrigan, a noted speedster, advanced to third and then scored on consecutive wild pitches. Later in the inning,
Andrew Cook blistered a double up the gap in left center that drove in
Adam McVicker from first. With two outs,
Andrew Pokley bounced a single back through the middle to drive in Cook. Heidelberg led 5-1.
Reece McNeely extended Heidelberg's advantage with a leadoff home run in the fourth, his team-leading fourth bomb of the season.
Camden Farley added a majestic solo home run later in the inning.
The Berg broke it open with a seven-spot in the fifth. Cook lined a single off the Comets pitcher and matriculated around the bases with walks drawn by Sauer and Pokley. After a pitching change, Krummen hit a sacrifice fly to center. Limke caught the long-ball bug, launching a three-run homer inside the right field foul pole. With two outs, McVicker hit a fly ball to deep center field and turned it into a two-run inside-the-park home run. HU led 14-1.
While the offense continued to eat up Comets pitching,
Corbin Caplan (2-1) turned in a terrific start for HU. The sophomore threw six full innings, allowing one run on four hits. He fanned four.
A two-run single by Corrigan and an RBI single by Farley pushed three across in the sixth for Heidelberg, which now led 17-1. The Comets scratched single runs across in the seventh and the eighth.
Vincent Marimpietri and
Jackson Armbrecht combined for the final three innings out of the bullpen.
GAME TWO: BERG 14-18-0 CAP 1-4-1
The hosts struck first blood in the bottom of the first. Limke singled and coasted into third on a hit-and-run single by Corrigan. McVicker lifted a sacrifice fly to left, giving HU a 1-0 lead after one.
The Tricolor tacked on another run in the fourth when Pokley doubled and scored on a single by Krummen.
Ahead 2-1 in the fifth, McVicker hit a two-run outside-the-park homer to left center. Later in the inning, Krummen drove in another run with a base hit to center. In the sixth, Heidelberg pushed another four runs across. Farley doubled in Limke before Sauer blasted a three-run homer to left.
As Caplan did in the opener, game two starter
Jackson Powers (3-1) rode the momentum of the offensive onslaught and pitched extremely well. The sophomore needed just 80 pitches to hurl seven full innings. He allowed one run on four hits, struck out six and walked none.
Farley drove in a pair in the seventh with a base hit.
In the eighth,
Cort Kramer picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly, McNeely singled in
Colin Small, and Limke drove in Pokley -- all part of a three-run inning.
Zane Mirgon worked two scoreless innings of relief.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
The 17 runs in game one were the most at Peaceful Valley for Heidelberg since a 17-3 win over Muskingum on April 8, 2021 … HU is 52-1-1 all-time when scoring 17+ runs … On Sunday, Heidelberg scored in 11 of their 16 innings at the plate.
UP NEXT:
Heidelberg returns to non-conference action during the week, traveling to Albion on Tuesday and hosting Ohio Wesleyan on Wednesday. Both days are slated for single games starting at 4 p.m.
