Springfield, Ohio – The Oberlin College baseball team had a late night in Springfield, wrapping up game two of their doubleheader close to midnight, but thankfully the long hours were worth it as the Yeomen won game two, 7-4, after dropping the lid-lifter, 9-4.
With the split, the Yeomen head home with a record of 9-17 overall and 2-6 in the NCAC, while the Tigers sit at 8-18 and 3-5 in league play.
Like in game one, the Tigers scored first in the nightcap as well as Chase Carpenter delivered a two-out two-run single in the bottom of the second. However, the Yeomen would go out in front in the third as junior catcher
Brendan Mapes lifted a three-run home run over the outfield wall for his third long ball of the season and seventh of his career.
However, the Tigers would reclaim the edge in the fifth, using two hits and a costly Oberlin error to retake the lead with a pair runs to make it a 4-3 Wittenberg advantage.
Yeomen starter
Noah Gear departed after the fifth, sprinkling seven hits and a walk in addition to five strikeouts. He was tagged with four runs (three earned) in the no-decision.
Senior
Milo Sklar would come on in relief and held the Tigers hitless in the sixth and seventh to keep the Yeomen within striking distance. Mapes and
Quin Butler started the top of the eighth with back-to-back singles and pinch hitter
Jack McGowan walked to load the bases with one out for
Maxx McGee who came through with a clutch two-run double to centerfield to put the Yeomen up 5-4. Oberlin would tack on another run on a wild pitch that allowed McGowan to race home from third.
After a 1-2-3 eighth by Sklar, the Oberlin bats went back to work in the ninth. Mapes, who had five hits on the day, rapped a double and would come around to score on
Jack Marsjanik's two-base hit to center to increase the cushion out to three runs.
The first two Tiger hitters would reach base to start the home-half of the ninth as the tying run came to the plate with nobody out, but Sklar induced a double play groundout before getting Tim Bates to chop one back to the mound to end the game and preserve the win.
Sklar (2-1) locked down his second victory of the season, allowing just one hit and a walk over four scoreless innings of work. He tossed 48 pitches, 26 of which were strikes.
Oberlin finished with a 13-8 margin in hits as Mapes led the way with four and three runs scored. Butler and Sklar each had two hits with Sklar's pair each going for a double.
In game one the Tigers scored one in the second, but the Yeomen evened the score in the fourth. With one out, Butler hit a double over the centerfielder's head and would later score when
Musa Matiwane hit a single back up the middle.
The Tigers regained the lead in the fifth and blew the game open with four runs in the sixth and three in the seventh to build up a 9-1 cushion.
Oberlin failed to answer until the eighth when Sklar sparked a three-run inning with a leadoff single. The Brooklyn, New York, product's hit was followed by an RBI double to left by Mapes and a two-run homer by Butler to cut the Tigers' lead to 9-4, with three lives remaining for Oberlin.
Unfortunately, the Yeomen failed to string together hits in the ninth as Sklar would be stranded at first after a base hit with two outs.
Oberlin had eight different pitchers throw in the game and as a whole the staff struggled with command as they issued 10 walks to Tiger batters.
Zachary Steer made the start for the Yeomen as he allowed five hits and a run, while striking out four Tigers. The junior southpaw got the no-decision as he only lasted 3.2 innings as his pitch count was driven up by the four base-on-balls.
Stephen Kellner (0-1) was saddled with his first loss of the season as he allowed a run on two hits and two walks in 1.1 innings of work.
The Yeomen were out-hit 14-9 in the game with Sklar leading the way with three, while Butler added two.
Oberlin is back in action on Tuesday afternoon as it travels to No. 3 Wooster for another NCAC doubleheader. First pitch of game one is set for 12 p.m.
