GRANVILLE, Ohio – Will Krushena improved his hitting streak to 28 games in Denison's doubleheader sweep of Kenyon College at Big Red Field. Taking the series 7-4 in game one and 12-9 in game two, the eighth-ranked Big Red tallied their 16th consecutive victory to improve to 26-2 on the season and 10-0 in the conference. The Lords dropped to 18-11 and 5-5 in the NCAC.
Breaking Charlie Apfelbach's 27-game hitting streak in game two with an RBI double in the first, Krushena finished the record-setting performance hitting 4-for-5 while hitting for the cycle (single, double, triple, home run) with six RBIs and three runs scored. It is the second cycle by a Denison player since computerized statistics were implemented in 2000. The first was by Todd Pitt against Suffolk University on March 18, 2006.
Highlighted by Krushena's dominance in game two, the Big Red took an early 7-2 lead through the three innings of play. After Kenyon added four runs in the fourth and only trailed by one, 7-6, the Lords took the lead in the fifth inning when RBI base hits from Eric Delrosso and Ryan Page helped KC plate three runs on four hits to take a 9-7 lead in the top of the fifth.
In the home half of the inning, the Big Red loaded the bases with one out and Krushena stepping up to the plate. As if it were scripted, Krushena launched a bases-clearing triple to the wall in right-center to give his team a 10-9 lead.
Leading 11-9 in the bottom of the seventh, Krushena capped off his cycle with an RBI single through the left side that scored Ty Robinson and put Denison ahead for good, 12-9.
The senior combination of Danny Brackman and Mikey Rivera held the Lords to one hit over the final three innings of action to secure the win for the Big Red.
The win went to Jack Arnstein who held Kenyon scoreless in 1.1 innings of work while Rivera earned his second save of the day and his fifth of the season.
Robinson and Max Lahn joined Krushena with multi-hit performances in game two, each going 2-for-4 and combining for four runs scored. Lahn also added two RBIs.
In the opener, Denison sent Will McManaman to the hill. The freshman left-hander carried a conference-best ERA of 1.50 into the game but the Lords finally got to him in the fifth, plating four runs to take a 4-2 lead.
Kenyon starter Patrick Craig held Denison to two runs in six innings but was removed to start the seventh after throwing 99 pitches. After quickly putting two runners on, Krushena drove in Lahn to make it a 4-3 game. With two outs and Grady Paine on third, Daniel Spencer delivered a game-tying pinch-hit single to center. Another pinch hitter, Cam Farren, came through with a single to right, setting the table for Brian McAuliffe who blasted a 3-run homer to center field to put Denison on top 7-4.
Rivera pitched two scoreless innings to record the save. Krushena and McAuliffe were both 1-for-4 with 3 RBIs in game one. John Troll got the win in relief of McManaman, going two scoreless innings. He is 4-0 on the year.