Stats From the Trip (6 Games) (PDF)

Tucson, Arizona – The Oberlin College baseball team defeated Williams College 11-3 to start the day and then took a more unconventional route in game two, erasing a 12-4 deficit over the final five innings to walk-off with a 14-13 win over Middlebury College on Monday afternoon.
 
Williams Recap
 
Making his first start of the season on the bump, senior right-hander Benjamin Whitener was impressive as he sprinkled eight hits over six innings of work, allowing three runs while fanning three and walking two.
 
Before Whitener even took to the mound his Yeomen teammates staked him a five-run cushion as they sent 10 men to the plate in the top of the first.
 
The Yeomen touched up Ephs' starter Daniel Smith for five runs on six hits as five straight singles by Kyle Decker, Jeff Schweighoffer, Andrew Hutson, Whitener, and Danny Baldocchi resulted in two runs coming across.
 
Sophomore Justin Cruz keep things going with a sac fly and then Ryan Bliss came through with a clutch two-out two-run opposite-field single to left to score Whitener and Baldocchi.
 
The Ephs fought their way back into the game, scoring three runs over the next two innings to shrink the Yeomen advantage to two at 5-3. Smith also settled in on the mound and held the Yeomen scoreless for the next four innings.
 
The Yeomen bats would again come to life in the sixth as they scored two runs off relief pitcher Arnie Capute. With two runners in scoring position, Hutson recorded an RBI groundout and Baldocchi added another Oberlin run by doubling off the wall in left center to score Decker.
 
In the bottom of the inning, Williams had two on with one out, but Whitener got Beau Horan to fly out and then catcher Blaise Dolcemaschio picked-off Nathan Micha from second to short-circuit any threat.
 
Oberlin would leave no doubt in the eventual outcome as they batted around again in the seventh, adding four runs on three hits.  Oberlin played 'small ball' to load the bases for Decker, who drew a walk to send the first run across. Schweighoffer then registered his second single of the game with a bouncing ball through the left side to score Dolcemaschio and chase relief pitcher Kirby Neuner from the game.
 
Following an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Hutson, the game's final run would come across on a double-steal play as Hutson purposely got caught in a run-down between first and second to allow Decker to race home from third.

The Yeomen finished with 16 hits in the game, as Baldocchi and Whitener were each 3-for-5, while Mitch Novak, Bliss, Hutson and Schweighoffer each finished with two.
 
Julian Sawhill came in to work the final three innings on the mound, keeping the Ephs scoreless as he notched his second save of the season.
 
Middlebury Recap
 
Oberlin trailed 10-3 and 12-4, but never quit as they came roaring back with 10 runs over the final six innings to shock the Panthers with a 14-13 walk-off win.
 
Brian Hemmert was the hero as he lifted a deep fly ball to center with the bases loaded and nobody out to score pinch runner Josh Newborn for the game-winning run. It was a moment that had to feel good for the junior catcher, especially considering he was hit with a pitch in his previous three at-bats.
 
Already trailing 4-3 after one inning, Hemmert's defensive play in the second inning saved the Yeomen two runs as he picked Raj Palkekar off at third base with the bases loaded for the second out of the inning. What followed was a walk that would have scored a run and long fly ball that would have been a sacrifice instead of ending the inning.
 
The Yeomen charged started in the fourth as Decker worked a bases-loaded walk to make it 10-4. However, the Yeomen would ultimately strand all three remaining runners. They were three of a total 16 men left on base in the game for Oberlin.
 
The Panthers responded with two runs in top of the fifth, but the Yeomen took advantage of some control problems from the Panthers to score three runs without registering a hit in the bottom part of the inning.  Three straight walks followed by back-to-back hit-by-pitches resulted in the first two runs of the inning coming across. Decker would plate the third run of the frame on a groundout, but the inning would not come to an end until Schweighoffer was also hit by a pitch, which one of nine in the game from Panthers' pitching.
 
Leading 12-7 going into the sixth, Middlebury would add would proved to be its final run of the game thanks to a Yeomen error.
 
However, in the home half of the inning Oberlin responded back in a big way with a 3-spot as the momentum swing continued to build. Following two more free passes to start the inning, Bliss belted a key two-run triple to the gap in left center and Schweighoffer was once again beaned with the bases loaded to cut the deficit to just three at 13-10.
 
Freshman standout Milo Sklar then entered on the mound and totally shutdown the Panthers' bats, which allowed the Yeomen to complete the come-from-behind victory.
Oberlin inched closer in the bottom of the seventh as Bliss came through again with a clutch two-out single to right that scored Cruz from second base.
 
In the Middlebury eighth, Sklar erased a leadoff single by inducing a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
 
The Yeomen eighth started with Novak getting hit and Decker singling through the right side. With both runners over in scoring position, Hutson lifted a deep sac fly to the gap in right center. While Novak easily cruised home, Decker flew around third and took off for home as the Panthers lazily worked the ball back into the infield, allowing the Yeomen second baseman to score the game-tying run.
 
Sklar worked a perfect 1-2-3 ninth as he put himself inline for his first-career win.
 
Whitener drew a four-pitch walk to start the ninth and then Newborn, who came in to pinch run, moved up to second on a failed pick-off attempt. Cruz would then lay down a sac bunt that resulted in everyone being safe.
 
After an intentional walk to Bliss to load the bases, Middlebury pulled Mark Dickerson in favor of Justin Stalcup. Hemmert welcomed the right-hander by sending his very first pitch over the centerfielder's head to complete the magical comeback.
 
The Yeomen, who moved to 7-6 on the year, will have another split doubleheader tomorrow. They will first take on Carthage College at 11 a.m. PDT and then battle Carleton College at 2:30 p.m. PDT.