Strong Pitching Helps Wooster Gain Split

Mike Morris pitched five innings in game two to pick up the win against Allegheny.

After falling to No. 4 in the Mideast Region in the latest NCAA Division III Rankings (released April 5), the Scot baseball team needed at least a split of a doubleheader with Allegheny Saturday (April 10) in Meadville, Pa., to cement its position as one of the top teams in the region.

Wooster (22-8, 5-1) did just that, bouncing back from a tough 2-0 loss in the first game to defeat the Gators 9-3 in the second game to gain a split of the North Coast Athletic Conference doubleheader.

One of the Scots' greatest concerns heading into the weekend was how its pitching staff would fare against the top-hitting team in the NCAC. As it turned out, Wooster's pitching was superb, limiting Allegheny to just five runs and 12 hits in the two games.

The best effort was turned in by Ben Maibach in game one, as he allowed only four hits in six innings of work. However, he did allow two runs, and that was two more than the Gators' Jeff Mountain allowed. Mountain surrendered only two singles and two walks in tossing the shutout while striking out seven.

Allegheny got on the board in the second when John Sherrod hit the first of his two home runs of the day. A run-scoring single by Kelly Swiney in the sixth added an insurance run.

Wooster's offense came alive quickly in the second game, as the Scots scored four times in the top of the first inning. Allegheny committed two errors and gave up Shane Flinner's seventh home run of the season - a two-run shot.

After each team scored a single run, Wooster put the game away in the fourth by scoring three more times. After Jeff Nowoczynski reached on an error, Jared Treadway homered to right field. Travis Snyder followed with a double, and then after stealing third base, scored on a Trevor Urban sacrifice fly. Chris Mihin capped the Scots' scoring with a solo home run to lead off the seventh inning.

On the mound, Mike Morris scattered eight hits in five innings without walking a batter. He gave up all three runs. Matt Englander pitched two scoreless innings to close out the game.