WILMINGTON — In fitting fashion to this season’s weather, the Wilmington College baseball team concluded the home portion of its schedule with a 6-3 victory in the rain over Miami University-Hamilton Thursday afternoon.
The win improves the Fightin’ Quakers’ record to 20-18, marking the program’s first winning season since 2005.
Offensively, the top of WC’s lineup accounted for seven of the team’s 10 hits. Zach Christensen went 2-for-2 with two walks, two RBIs, two runs scored and three stolen bases. Jared Lammert tallied a 3-for-4 afternoon with a double while Aaron Burns, who also hit a double, finished 2-for-3.
Kaleb Stines improved to 3-1, allowing an earned run on seven hits with six strikeouts in seven innings of work.
Wilmington (20-18) will close its 2022 season at Ohio Northern University on Sunday (note the date change). First pitched is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The Herriers (21-19) took a 1-0 lead but the Quakers defense kept them off the board further. On a run-scoring double, Wilmington cut down another would-be run at the plate, as the relay of Jesse Reliford to Tyler Shaneyfelt to Aaron Burns was good for the out.
In the bottom half of the inning, Wilmington took control with a three-run inning that included an RBI-single from Caleb Scott, an RBI-groundout from Dominic Depa and an RBI-double from Burns. The hosts would add another run in the second on an infield single from Christensen.
A half-hour rain delay stalled the top of the third, but Stines wasn’t bothered, inducing a groundout to third to strand a runner in scoring position. In the bottom of the fourth, WC loaded the bases with two walks and a bunt single from Shaneyfelt, but came away with just a single run on a Christensen walk with the bases loaded.
Trailing 5-1, Miami-Hamilton tallied two unearned runs in the fifth, but Wilmington got one of those runs back in the seventh as Lammert singled home Christensen. That proved to be the last at bat of the game as more rain came down, causing the contest to finish in the bottom of the seventh inning.
