WOOSTER, Ohio – Senior center fielder Ben Gbur put a charge into a pitch for the go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, and The College of Wooster baseball team blew game one of a midweek home-and-home with former Ohio Athletic Conference rival University of Mount Union wide open in the eighth inning en route to a 13-5 Tuesday afternoon victory at Art Murray Field.
Wooster (21-9) senior left fielder Dominic Stilliana reached prior to Gbur's round-tripper on a one-out single to center field. Gbur then blasted a 1-1 offering from Collin Skufca over the center field fence that made it 5-4.
Mount Union (17-13) had just reclaimed the lead in the top of the seventh inning. The first two Purple Raiders reached safely, with Zack Mazza's double marking the big hit. Nate Duliba grounded out to senior shortstop Tyler Chumita, but a run did score on the play giving Mount Union a 4-3 lead.
Prior to the seventh, Gbur significantly impacted the game with a well-placed leadoff bunt in the sixth inning, and he advanced to second on senior right fielder Ben Hines' sacrifice bunt. After the Scots loaded the bases, junior designated hitter Dean Brown laced a two-run game-tying single to left field. In the fourth, junior first baseman Dane Camphausen knotted the game at one when he smashed an opposite-field solo homer down the right field line.
Sophomore second baseman Eli Westrick legged out a triple to start Wooster's eight-run eighth inning. Consecutive doubles by Camphausen and Brown made it 6-4, then Stilliana earned an RBI on a groundout. Next, Hines' patience at the dish resulted in a bases-loaded walk, and Chumita slapped an RBI single through the left side. Wooster was not done yet, with Westrick wearing a pitch for a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and Camphausen clearing the bases with a three-run double.
Eric Schilling's RBI single gave Mount Union a 1-0 lead in the first, but Wooster's defense made several big plays to keep the Purple Raiders at bay until the sixth. After the first two batters reached in the top of the fourth inning, Duliba was too greedy on a fly ball to Gbur. Camphausen cut the throw off and fired a strike to Westrick in time to retire the runner. In the fourth inning, Schilling was no match for senior catcher Michael Thomas when trying to steal, and Joey Nave's fate was the same an inning later.
Camphausen led Wooster's lineup with a 3-for-5 afternoon. The first baseman drove in five and scored twice. Others with multiple hits included Brown, Gbur, and Stilliana, while Gbur's three runs were tops in the game.
Mazza and Duliba had three hits apiece for Mount Union.
Brown made his season pitching debut and allowed a run on seven hits in five innings. Junior Christian Johnston (2-0) collected the win. The left-hander retired all six batters he faced.
Skufca fell to 0-3 after allowing three runs in 1 1/3 innings.
Wooster and Mount Union are back at it on Wednesday, April 27 in Alliance with first pitch set for 4 p.m.