Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Springfield, Ohio - The Oberlin College baseball team split its first two games of the NCAC Cross-Over Series on Saturday with the Wittenberg University Tigers, taking the first game by the score of 10-6 and dropping game two, 12-2.
 
In Saturday's first contest, the Yeomen got off to a 2-0 start in the first inning. Sophomore Ryan Bliss singled through the right side of the infield in Oberlin's first at bat, and would eventually come around to put the Yeomen's first run on the board after junior Mike McDonald brought him in on a sacrifice fly to center field.
 
Sophomore Benjamin Whitener drove in Oberlin's second run of the game on back-to-back scoring plays with two outs, bringing in sophomore Mitchell Novak on a single up the middle.
 
The Yeomen added three runs to their lead in the top of the third to make the score 5-0. The third run of the game came on a Tiger fielding error that allowed Novak to round third and come home for his second run of the game.
 
Whitener tacked on his second RBI of the game in as many at bats when he drove in Jeff Schweighoffer to make the Oberlin lead 4-0. Sophomore Daniel Baldocchi brought in a two-out run and Oberlin's fifth after he doubled to right center, bringing in McDonald.
 
As the pitching of senior Eric Knight and the Yeomen defense held Wittenberg scoreless, Oberlin tacked on two runs in the fifth and sixth innings each to extend their advantage over the Tigers to 9-0.
 
Baldocchi continued to drive in runs, boosting his RBI count to three after he blasted a two-run home run over the left center wall in the top of the fifth. Sophomore Andrew Huston also scored on the play. In the sixth inning, Novak came across for his third run of the game thanks to a McDonald single up the middle. McDonald eventually came around to score off of a two-out single by Hutson.
 
Wittenberg finally answered back with two runs in the bottom of the seventh and four more in the eighth to draw within three and make the score 9-6.
 
Oberlin drove in their final run in the top of the ninth when junior Kevin Verne scored on a Novak sacrifice fly to center field. The Yeomen then held Wittenberg scoreless in the final frame to end the game at 10-6.
 
The Yeomen finished game one with 15 hits, edging out Wittenberg's 11.
 
Novak and Bliss led the Yeomen in game one with three hits, while Novak went on to finished with three runs and one RBI. Baldocchi ended game one with two hits, one home run, one run, and three RBI. McDonald had two hits of his own to go along with two runs and two RBI.
 
Knight got the start and win in Saturday's first matchup after surrendering five runs on ten hits in seven innings of work. Freshman Jesse Kohler came on in relief in the seventh and finished with one run given up on one hit in two innings pitched.
 
In game two, Wittenberg jumped out to a seven-run lead over the course of the first four innings, driving in four runs in the first, two in the third, and one in the fourth.
 
The Yeomen responded in the bottom of the fifth, as Whitener was driven in to put Oberlin on the board after a Robin Witjes RBI-single. Bliss then knocked Hutson in from third on a single that found its way through the infield.
 
The two squads were scoreless through the next two frames before Wittenberg drove in five runs on four hits in the top of the eighth inning to increase their lead to 10 runs. The Yeomen were unable to score in the bottom half of the inning, ending game two at 12-2.
 
Freshman pitcher Harrison Wollman started on the hill for Oberlin and received the loss after giving up six runs on nine hits in three innings of work. The pitching cast of Justin Kidd, Jordan Cohen, Sam Sharpe, Julian Sawhill, Josh Newborn and Tristam Osgood came in to finish out the game and collectively gave up six runs on five hits in the final five innings of play.
 
Whitener and Bliss led the Yeomen from the plate with two hits apiece.  Bliss also finished with one RBI in game two.
 
Oberlin advances to 20-19 after Saturday's split with Wittenberg and will continue the three-game series tomorrow, May 5, when they take on the Tigers at 12 p.m.