Greencastle, IN - The Oberlin College baseball team fell 6-3 in game one and suffered an 8-7 walk-off loss in the nightcap at DePauw University on Saturday afternoon.
In the lid-lifter, the Tigers jumped on Oberlin starter
Vince Dolcemaschio (1-3) from the onset, scoring all six of their runs over the first two innings. However, the junior right hander flipped the switch from the third inning on as he battled his way for eight full innings, striking out a career-high eight while giving up 10 hits and three walks over 122 pitches of work.
While Dolcemaschio continued to post zeros on the board in innings three through eight, the Yeomen offense was never really able to find its footing against Tigers southpaw starter Pearse Riendeau (2-1) as he gave up just four hits and three runs (one earned) over 6.1 innings.
Oberlin would post single tallies in each of the second and third innings but failed to sustain any momentum against Riendeau. The Yeomen's first run would come across on a groundout by
John Schooner, while in the third it was
Max Cairo's double down the left field line that scored
Harry Kaplan to make it 6-2.
The Yeomen would threaten in sixth, but settled for just one run on a first-and-third double steal play where
Jacob Thompson raced home.
Oberlin would put its leadoff man aboard in the sixth and eighth innings as well but each time they were left stranded as they finished with eight men left on base.
Oberlin had just five hits in the game with two coming courtesy of Schooner.
The Yeomen had nine hits in the nightcap but stranded 12 runners on base in the seesaw affair.
It was a good start for the visitors, posting a pair of runs in the top of the first inning with two outs. Thompson roped an RBI single to centerfield that scored
Max Anastasio and then he would later come in to score himself on a wild pitch.
The Tigers would eventually even the score at 2-2 with single tallies in the second and fourth innings but Oberlin would go back out in front in the top part of the fifth as Anastasio poked a two-run double to left center to score Cairo and
Jake Blozy.
Unfortunately, Oberlin's defense would fall apart in the bottom of the fifth, committing three errors in the inning to go along with three walks and three hits. When the frame mercifully came to an end it wasn't until the Tigers scored five runs to grab a 7-4 advantage.
The Yeomen continued to fight, and after loading the bases and not scoring in the sixth, the Yeomen would level the count at 7-7 with three runs in the seventh. After loading the bases with just one out,
Joe Strabley drove in a run and reached on an error.
Harry Kaplan would then drop down a squeeze bunt before Blozy lifted a sac fly to reset the game.
Anastasio led off the eighth with his second double of the game but he was left stranded as Dylan Perrott induced back-to-back strikeouts to get out of the jam unscathed.
DePauw would load the bases with two outs in the eighth but
Luigi Smarro was able to wiggle his way out of trouble. Unfortunately, Thompson wasn't as fortunate in the ninth as a pinch-hit lead-off double from Louis Florida started the inning and just one pitch later he would score on an Oberlin error to end the game.
Oberlin starter
Justin Fuls lasted just four innings, giving five hits with two of the five runs he was charged with being earned. The Bernardsville, New Jersey, native walked five and struck out two over 100 pitches of work.
Alexander Norris tossed just two thirds of an inning, giving up two unearned runs on two hits before turning things over to Smarro, who twirled 3.1 innings off scoreless baseball.
Anastasio finished 4-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs, and a run scored. Blozy also had two hits in the loss.
Oberlin is back in action on Thursday, April 13 at Otterbein University.
