Oberlin, Ohio – The Oberlin College baseball team suffered its sixth straight loss, falling 13-6 to Capital University on Sunday afternoon at Dill Field.
Once again defense was the story, as the Yeomen committed six errors in the game and have now made 24 miscues over the last four games alone.
It was a back-and-forth affair in the early going, but the Crusaders pulled away late scoring seven runs over the final two innings to break open what had been a 6-6 tie. On the season the Yeomen are getting out-scored 59-18 from the seventh inning on.
Still in search of his first win, junior sidearmer
Milo Sklar got the start on the bump and allowed 10 hits to go along with two hit batters and a walk in six innings of work. He was tagged with six runs, but just one was earned as the mistakes piled up around him.
The Crusaders took advantage of an error to post a single tally in the first, but the Yeomen would answer back with a pair in the home-half of the inning as
Brendan Mapes came through with a clutch two-out two-RBI double to the gap in right center.
Another error in the second allowed Capital to tie the game before they would go ahead with a four-run third. In the inning, the Crusaders would use four hits and two Oberlin errors to take a 6-2 lead. Tyler Cetnarowski, Logan Bastin, and Joe Caporale all had an RBI in the rally.
However, the Yeomen kept fighting and would take advantage of some sloppy defense by Capital to cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the third. A two-out walk to Mapes put runners on the corners for senior co-captain
Mike Masella who sent an opposite-field two-run double down the left field line to score
Justin Cruz and Mapes.
The Yeomen fourth also featured two more Capital errors that led to the first run of the inning coming across on a single to right field by
Brian Carney.
Ian Dinsmore would then follow with a run-producing single back up the box to tie the game. Unfortunately, the rally would come to an abrupt halt as a failed sacrifice bunt attempt was followed with an inning-ending double play.
It was zeros across the board for both sides in innings five through seven until the Crusaders pulled away late.
After cruising through the seventh with ease, Yeomen relief pitcher
David Gaetano got into some trouble in the eighth as two walks put a pair on with two outs. Still with a chance to escape unscathed, left-handed hitting shortstop Beau Otto sent an opposite-field check-swing single down the third-base line into left that plated the go-ahead run. Cetnarowski would then come through with a two-run double to left to give his side a three-run lead and chase Gaetano from the game. He is now 1-4 on the season after being credited with the loss.
Capital, which moved to 14-10 on the year with the win, would go on to add four more runs in the ninth to leave no doubt in the eventual outcome.
Oberlin had 12 hits in the game with Masella leading the way at 3-for-5 with two RBI.
Quin Butler, Carney, and Cruz each had two hits in the setback.
The Yeomen have dropped nine of their last 10 and are now 10-14 on the season. They will try and right the ship when they return to conference play at Hiram College on Friday. First pitch of game one is set for 12 p.m.
