WMVO Good Times Great Oldies
NEW CONCORD, Ohio – In its final non-conference game of the season, the Kenyon College baseball team defeated Muskingum University, 8-5. The Lords moved to 20-10 overall on the season with the win.
Kenyon opened the game with back-to-back walks drawn by Malcolm Gaynor and Nate Rosen. Following a pair of flyouts, Gaynor came around to score on Tripper Capps double to right-center field. After Stephen Carr walked to load the bases, a Muskingum wild pitch allowed Rosen to score for a 2-0 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, the Lords looked to have a clean inning, but two singles and a walk loaded the bases. Like Kenyon, the Muskies scored a run off a wild pitch with the bases loaded to cut the lead in half.
In the top of the third, the Lords restored their two run advantage on Luke Meister’s fifth home run of the year. Muskingum answered Meister’s home run with a sacrifice fly to bring the score to 3-2.
The Muskies tied the game at three in the fourth on an RBI double with two outs. In the top of the fifth, Rosen doubled with one out to give Kenyon a baserunner. Alex Gow flew out, but Meister singled to center, allowing Rosen to score from second.
Leading off the fifth for the Muskies, Allex Santacroce worked a walk before stealing his way to third. Another sacrifice fly for Muskingum tied the game up. In the sixth, the Lords started to take advantage of the Muskies’ errors. After Drew Robinson reached on a fielder’s choice, Robinson stole second and moved to third on an errant throw. With two outs, Alexander Hoskins drove in Robinson with a single down the line. In the bottom half, Muskingum worked a leadoff walk into a run, tying the game at five.
In the seventh, J.J. Conway worked a leadoff walk, advancing to second on Meister’s second single of the day. Capps followed by reaching on an error, allowing Conway to come around to score. On a double steal attempt, the Lords completed the play, but another Muskingum error brought in a run. Ben Gimbel lifted a sacrifice fly with two outs to score the Lords’ third run in the inning.
Ahead by three in the top of the eighth, Gaynor gave Kenyon an extra run to work with as he crushed his first homer of the year. In the bottom of the inning, Joel Biery entered from the bullpen for his 11th appearance of the season. Biery retired the leadoff batter on a groundout to second before striking out the next Muskies’ hitter. The southpaw ended the inning on a line out to left, keeping the four run lead intact.
The Lords were able to get two runners on but couldn’t scratch a run across. Following a single to start the inning, Hopper Rowe entered from the bullpen to chase the save. Rowe wasted no time to record an out, inducing a double play on the first batter he faced.
The Lords return to conference play on Saturday as they host Oberlin College for a doubleheader starting at noon.
