Sophomore John Holm added two more blasts to his season home run totals in a losing effort at DePauw Wednesday afternoon. The power-hitting first baseman launched a solo shot in the sixth before adding a two-run homer in the eighth in a 14-5 loss to the Tigers.
Holm (right) started the day with seven home runs, 15th-best among Division III baseball players. Wednesday marked the second time this season he has hit two home runs in a contest, matching his two-homer game against . The reigning North Coast Athletic Conference Baseball Player of the Week is tied for third on the single-season home run list with current Wabash hitting instructor Matt Dodaro ’09 with nine home runs. The Wabash single season record is 11 set by Matt Wilhelm '01in 2000. Mike Mack '04 hit 10 home runs in 2004. Holm has 32 RBI for the season, seven away from the single season record of 39 set by Josh Stanton in 2001.
Wabash struggled to find any hits until Joe Johnson singled with two outs in the top of the fifth inning. PJ Tyson followed with a double off the left field wall, but the Little Giants would not score their first run until Holm's solo homer in the sixth. Holm's one-out, two-run shot in the seventh was followed by a Nathan Schrader single. Freshman Kyle Mener (below left) then picked up his first hit in his first collegiate game with a double to left before a sacrifice fly added the fifth run of the game for Wabash.
DePauw (13-10) got out to an early 5-0 lead in the first, adding another five runs in the third with two more in the fourth and fifth innings. Keegan Leckrone (2-2) took the loss after working three innings as the starter. Logan Frederick pitched two innings before giving way to Andrew Swart. Swart stretched his scoreless-inning streak on the mound to 11 after throwing two innings of shutout baseball against the Tigers. Luke Zinsmaster finished the final inning for the Little Giants.
Wabash (9-12) finished with seven hits while the Tigers collected 16. Holm and Tyson each had two of the seven hits for the Little Giants. Wabash returns to action this weekend with a four-game series against Robert Morris College - Springfield beginning with two seven-inning games on Friday at 2 p.m. at Mud Hollow Field.