WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College baseball team swept Capital University in an Ohio Athletic Conference twinbill at Tewksbury-Delaney Field Friday, winning a back-and-forth game one 8-7 and game two 9-4.

In game one, Wilmington plated an unearned run in both the first and second innings to build a 2-0. Capital put together consecutive two-out hits to score a run in the third, but the Quakers got that run back in the fourth as Joe Legin scored on a wild pitch.

A scoreless inning for both teams in the fifth followed, but Capital’s offense, which had been held a bay by Wilmington starter GlenAllen Anderson, got to the sophomore in the sixth. A home run from Dakota DesteFano led off the inning and two more hits alongside a Quaker error gave the visitors a 4-3 advantage. After the hosts failed to score in the bottom half, the Crusaders scored three more in the top of the seventh, this time on four hits with another home run.

Wilmington loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, and after a mound visit, Capital starter Scott Gutstein airmailed a pickoff attempt to third base that scored two runs. Another error, the Crusaders’ third of the inning, got the Quakers within a single run (7-6). Thomas Hueber, who relieved Anderson, in the seventh, stranded a two-out double in the top of the eighth, setting the table for a Quaker comeback. In the bottom of the inning, Tyler Shaneyfelt found grass down the left field line with two outs, plating both Joe Legin (the tying run) and Jared Lammert (the go-ahead run).

Trailing 8-7, Capital loaded the bases in the ninth, but Hueber induced a grounded at Shaneyfelt, who threw to second base to get the force out and the win. The senior earned the win, allowing two earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts in 2.2 innings. Gutstein got a no-decision with his quality start of 6.1 innings. Gavin Vanhorn fell to 0-2 allowing two earned runs while recording two outs.

Offensively, Wilmington was outhit 17-10, but played a better defensive game committing just one error to Capital’s five. Jesse Reliford, Legin and Evan Kelsey had multi-hit games for the Quakers while Brendan Stinson went 4-for-5 with two RBIs for Capital. Three other Crusaders – Logan White, Brandon Barnette and Cole Callaghan – had three-hit games.

In game two, Capital took advantage of two Wilmington errors in the first to score two runs in the top of the first. The Quakers, after not scoring in the bottom of the first, saw their patient approach at the plate pay off as the hosts would plate four runs over the second and third innings combined on just a single hit. Wilmington would draw four walks and bit hit by two pitches to take a 4-2 lead after three complete.

Stines would allow just two more runs in the game and Wilmington’s three-run fifth inning put the game away. The freshman tallied his third complete game of the season which included six strikeouts and just three earned runs. Capital used six pitches in the matchup.

Offensively, the top of Wilmington’s lineup did the damage as Shaneyfelt, Reliford and Caleb Scott all had two-hit contests. White and Barnette once again had three-hit contests.

Wilmington (9-23, 8-20 OAC) head to Capital to finish the series today.