Final Spring Break Stats (10 Games)
Tucson, AZ – Playing for the final time on spring break, the Oberlin College baseball team ended its trip by splitting a pair of games. The Yeomen defeated Wisconsin-Superior 4-3 but went on to fall 28-12 to Wesleyan University in their final game.
In the win over the Yellow Jackets Junior
Zachary Steer was masterful on the mound as he spun seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits and three walks. The southpaw hurler kept the Yellow Jackets out of sync with his quick pace as he moved to 2-0 on the year. He tossed just 80 pitches, 51 of which went for strikes as he recorded three punch-outs along the way.
Steer was also aided by his defense as the Yeomen went error-free in the game, which was highlighted by a "web-gem" worthy 4-6-3 double play in the second inning where
Derek Martin backhanded a bouncing ball up the middle and glove flipped it to
Sam Harris to start the inning-ending twin killing.
Harris dropped down a bunt single with two outs in the third and would trot home for the game's first run as
Milo Sklar belted a triple to the gap in right center to extend his hitting streak to four games. Sklar accounted for two of the Yeomen's six hits in the win.
It remained 1-0 until the home half of the sixth when the Yeomen plated three runs in the inning.
Amari Newman had a hard-hit single through the right side to score freshman
Lawrence Hamilton. After drawing a four-pitch walk,
Quin Butler added another Oberlin tally as he scored on an infield single by
Brendan Mapes. Junior
Ian Dinsmore would later lift a sac fly to center to make it a 4-0 Yeomen advantage.
However, the game got real dicey in the ninth as a lead-off triple and a walk were followed with a three-run homer by Braeden Barr to shrink the lead down to just one with nobody out. Reliever Steve Kellener came in and registered a quick out at second base on a come-backer to the mound. Following a hit by pitch, the Yellow Jackets would have runners at first and second, but Kellener and Harris ran a perfectly executed pickoff play to erase Tyler Evans from second base and give Oberlin a big second out.
Two pitches after the pickoff, Colin Welch roped a ball down into the left field corner that put the tying run just 90 feet away and the potential go-ahead run also in scoring position.
The Yeomen would turn to
Noah Gear to get the final out and the 6-foot-5 right hander did just that as he got pinch hitter Spencer Lawniczak to hit a 1-2 pitch to third base to end the game.
The Yeomen and Cardinals combined for 42 hits in the high-scoring game-two shootout. Sklar, Butler and
Maxx McGee each had three hits, while Harris added two hits and two runs scored.
Oberlin led 4-1 after two innings, but Wesleyan would score four of its own in the top of the third to go out in front 5-4. They had just one hit in the inning, but took advantage of three Oberlin errors, a walk, and a hitter batter.
The Yeomen later trailed 8-4, but the Yeomen answered with three runs in the bottom of the fourth to get back within a run. Three straight hits to start the inning from McGee, Harris, and Sklar forced a Cardinals' pitching change. Butler would welcome Stephen Howa into the game by rapping a two-run double that short-hopped the wall in left center.
However, the game would get broken open over the next two innings as Wesleyan plated six runs in the fifth and sixth innings before adding eight more over the seventh and eighth innings.
The Yeomen put two more on the board in the fifth as McGee started a two-out rally with a double to left center before Harris dropped down a beautiful bunt single. Sklar would then register RBIs three and four with a gap-shot to left center.
Oberlin kept swinging, tacking on three runs in the sixth. McGee had two-run triple to right center and
Jack McGowan lifted a sac fly to center to cap the scoring for the Yeomen.
Oberlin finished its 10-game trip to Tucson with a record of 3-7, moving to 5-11 overall.
The Yeomen are scheduled to be back in action on Sunday afternoon at Wilmington College.
