B-W Ends Wooster's Win Streak at 15 Games

Bubba O'Donnell attempts to turn a double play against B-W.

WOOSTER, Ohio – Baldwin-Wallace College’s Scott Luthman pitched eight strong innings, holding The College of Wooster’s typically high-scoring offense to three runs, as the Yellow Jackets upended the Fighting Scots in their home opener by a score of 7-3 at an overcast Art Murray Field Thursday. It marked the end of Wooster’s 15-game winning streak.

The Scots (17-2) last lost their home opener three years ago, but then bounced back to win conference and regional championships and finished in 3rd-place at the 2005 NCAA Div. III National Championship Series.

In addition to Luthman’s gem, Baldwin-Wallace (8-6) got some early offense, stringing together a walk, single, hit by pitch, and Nate Luken RBI single with no outs in the top of the second inning. Wooster starter Nate Gemberling-Johnson (Wyndmoor, Pa. / Germantown Friends School) avoided much further trouble, inducing a sacrifice fly and double play.

The Yellow Jackets’ Matt Bolte hit a solo shot in the next frame to give the visitors a 3-0 lead.

Entering the bottom of the fifth, Luthman had set down eight consecutive Scots, but that streak came to an end when Matt Groezinger (Upper Arlington, Ohio / Upper Arlington) hit a hard single to shortstop. Two outs later, Bubba O’Donnell (Cincinnati, Ohio / St. Xavier) cleared the right fielder for an RBI double.

Baldwin-Wallace responded, though, with a pair of unearned runs in the sixth to make it 5-1.

An insurance tally via a sacrifice fly pushed the Yellow Jackets cushion to 6-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth. Then, Wooster’s Sean Karpen (Venetia, Pa. / Peters Twp.) made things interesting, belting a two-run homer over the left field fence to cut the lead to three.

Just like when the Scots scored their run in the fifth, Baldwin-Wallace had an answer, plating an unearned run in the top of the ninth for a 7-3 advantage.

Wooster tried to rally in the ninth, as Ben Downs (Latrobe, Pa. / Derry Area) singled up the middle and O’Donnell earned a walk, each with one out, which brought up the top of the order. However, reliever Brian Boveington closed out the Scots with back-to-back strikeouts.

Luthman earned the win (1-1), allowing the three runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out five. Gemberling-Johnson suffered the loss (0-1), yielding three runs in as many innings.

Offensively, Luken, the Yellow Jackets’ No. 9 hitter, went 3-for-5 with two RBI and Bolte was 2-for-2 with the aforementioned home run as well as three walks.

Groezinger was Wooster’s lone player with a multi-hit outing, going 2-for-4.

The Scots will look to bounce back this weekend when they host North Coast Athletic Conference divisional foe Kenyon College (11-5, 3-1 NCAC East) in a four-game set, starting Saturday at 1 p.m.