Andrew Bell
Staff Writer
As the snow melted away from the campus walkways, the air was filled with the sights and sounds of America’s pastime. The Scots returned home from Louisville, Kentucky with a 2-2 record. Their previous matchups consisted of two-game stands against Spalding University and Otterbein University respectively. Wooster split both of the contests, but consistently found themselves with many scoring opportunities. In fact, the Scots had scored at least four runs in each of their first four games. This offensive success seemed to carry over in other games, where the Scots scored a combined 22 runs against the Case Western Spartans.
The first game began with a pitching battle between the Scots’ Corey Knauf ’24 and Case’s Reece Marley ’24. Both pitchers recorded a no-hitter until the fifth inning. The Spartans broke the deadlock with a solo home run to right field. Grant Mitchell ’24 answered with an RBI double, allowing for Nick Pett ’27 to score. Mitchell also crossed home plate following an RBI single by John Panstares ’26. Knauf continued to pitch with conviction, and he would not allow another Spartan run to score.
The productive fifth inning started to heat up Wooster’s bats, as a combined seven runs were scored in the following two innings. Colin Leslie ’26 and Eli Westrick ’24 scored off a single in the sixth. In the seventh, Zack Barienbrock ’27 double streaked down the right field line and settled into the corner of the wall. The hit allowed Ryan Kramer ’26, Westrick and Panstares to score. Then, Leo Widtmann ’25 launched a deep two-run home run that flew to right field, increasing the Wooster lead to eight. Alex Gerendich ’25 closed out the ball game for the Scots, securing a resounding 9-1 victory for Wooster.
The second game saw the Scots gain an early lead with contributions from Westrick, Kramer, Leslie, Zack Barienbrock ’27, Mitchell, Andrew McGowan ’26 and Bryn Langley ’24. The inning was highlighted by a Langley single that allowed two runners to score and Westrick crossing home plate twice. Starting pitcher Devin Anthony ’26 jammed four hitters and struck out another in the first two innings. However, the Spartans scored in the third, fourth and fifth innings to cut the Wooster lead to five.
The bottom of the fifth saw the Scots’ bats connecting once more, this time with a moonshot from Kramer and an RBI from McGowan. The Black and Gold scored multiple runs in the following innings, with three batters crossing home plate. Panstares started the scoring for the Scots in the sixth after stealing home on a wild pitch. Westrick and Kramer crossed the plate in a more conventional way with a sacrifice fly and a single respectively. Isaiah Vance ’27 and Thomas Gfell ’25 closed out the final innings with a set of no hitter innings. Wooster’s 13-6 effort closed out an exciting Saturday of baseball at Art Murray Field.
The home opener showcased Wooster’s high-octane offense. To date, the team has posted a .276 batting average and has stolen 16 bases through seven games. Both Kramer and Westrick lead the Scots in the batting average. Kramer was one of two batters to hit a home run in the home opener. “After I hit it, I saw the left fielder turn, I knew it was gone,” Kramer said. “It felt good to be able to help the team extend the lead over a very good Case team.”
Wooster’s powerful offense was fueled by impressive pitching play. The first game was highlighted with a confident Knauf taking the mound. The senior’s arm struck out eight Spartans and only allowed one hitter to score through seven innings. “I think the biggest thing is taking the game pitch by pitch,” said Knauf. He expanded on his focus, asserting that the team had “worked a lot on the mental aspect of baseball. We know we have the talent to compete with anybody; it’s going to be how we respond to adversity in games that will carry us a long way.” The combination of hitting and pitching created a perfect day for the Scots as they dominated Case in the homestand. The final scores were 9-1 and 13-6 in favor of Wooster.
The Scots travel to Fort Pierce, Florida to play their next stretch of games. The Black and Gold return to Art Murray Field on March 27 to play John Carroll University.
