The start of the 2007 North Coast Athletic Conference portion of the schedule for the Wabash baseball team proved to be a rough one. The Little Giants rallied in the first contest at Denison before losing 6-4 to the Big Red in Granville, Ohio. Denison cruised in game two to a 9-1 victory over Wabash Saturday afternoon.
Wabash took a 2-0 lead in the first contest when freshman Kyle Rush led off the third inning with a double. With two outs the Big Red intentionally walked Jake Thomas to get to freshman Jake Lee. The rookie made Denison pay, pounding a double to score Rush and Thomas.
The lead was short-lived. Denison picked up two runs in the bottom of the fourth and four more in the fifth to take a 6-2 lead. Wabash answered with a pair of runs in the top half of the sixth inning when Bobby Ritz scored on an error by Denison's catcher after starting the inning with a single. Senior Scott Hamilton picked up an RBI with a single to score Mike Nowak for the final run of the inning, brining Wabash to within two runs.
The Little Giants had a chance to tie the game in the seventh. Shaun Rico opened the inning with a single, followed by another single by Ritz. But back-to-back strikeouts by Denison reliever Aidan Lucas brought Hamilton to the plate with runners on the corners. Hamilton could not deliver a game-tying blow this time around after picking up two game-winning RBIs in the past week, grounding to short this time to end the contest.
Hamilton's at bat wasn't the only chance the Little Giants had to draw even with Denison. Wabash stranded 13 baserunners while delivering 11 hits in the game. The Big Red added to the Little Giants' efforts with four errors.
Lee was 3-for-4 to pace the Wabash effort. Hamilton and Ritz each had two hits. Junior Chris Schmaltz picked up a series of sixes in the contest. He worked six innings, allowing six runs on six hits. He also walked three and struck out two.
Wabash fell behind early and never recovered in game number two. The Little Giants trailed 4-0 after two innings before issuing a fifth run in the third. The lone Wabash run of the game came in the fifth inning when Rico doubled with two out, then scored on an RBI single by Ritz.
The Little Giants' offense would struggle in the second game, gathering only four hits. Rico, Ritz, Hamilton, and Travis Stirling each tallied on base knock in the contest. Sophomore Andy Weeks suffered the loss, working only two innings in his fourth start of the year.
Wabash (5-11-1, 0-2 NCAC West) and Denison (3-7, 2-0 NCAC West) meet in the series finale Sunday afternoon in another double-header.
Game one box score - Denison 6, Wabash 4
Game two box score - Denison 9, Wabash 1