WILMINGTON – The Wilmington College baseball team opened Ohio Athletic Conference play Saturday by sweeping Muskingum University, winning game one 3-2 and game two 9-7 at Tewksbury-Delaney Field.
In the game one victory, Lance Fleischman struck out 10 batters to earn a complete-game victory. Muskingum did plate a single run in second inning, on a sacrifice fly, and the fourth, on an RBI-single Marc Ibarra. Fleischman would allow just three hits the rest of the game, however, setting up Wilmington’s offense to take advantage.
Down 2-0 WC tied the game on a Gage Bley sacrifice fly and a Luke Kleindl run-producing single to right.
In the eighth, Shane Hale singled to left to score Kleindl with what proved to be the winning run. Kasey Bottorff had a key sacrifice bunt in the inning.
“Game one was dictated by Lance Fleischman, who had great tempo on the mound,” WC coach Tony Vittorio said. “It was great to see Shane Hale deliver that go-ahead, RBI-single on a ball that wasn’t quite squared up. He’s battled injury and it was nice to get him in the lineup.”
Miller and Bottorff finished 2-for-3 for Wilmington while Mason Walker posted a 2-for-4 performance. Miller swiped two bases while Nick Silvis and Jake Hyatt both stole one.
In game two, Wilmington scored runs in the first four innings including RBI hits from Silvis, Hale, Bley and Joe Legin in the first two innings and Walker in the fourth. After starter Thomas Hueber was pulled in the first, Jarett Trautman worked through the first four innings allowing two runs.
Jared Ferenchak, who entered the game in the fifth, closed the game to earn the save.
“We got the lead and played ahead in game two,” Vittorio said. “Our pitching staff battled in that game.”
Trautman allowed five earned runs with four walks in 4.2 innings pitched to earn his first win of the year. Ferenchak scattered five hits and allowed one earned run over the final 4.1 innings.
Bley finished game two 4-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI while Hyatt added a 3-for-4 performance with an RBI and two runs scored. Hale and Legin also finished with multi-hit games.
