BROCKPORT, N.Y. – Senior Alex Ludwick (Brunswick, Ohio) knocked in three runs with a homer and a double to lead the No. 21 Baldwin Wallace baseball team over No. 22 Wheaton College (Mass.), 11-6, today in the NCAA Tournament Regional final hosted by State University of New York Brockport at the Clark V. Whited Complex in Brockport, N.Y. Both teams are ranked in the most recent National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association/D3baseball.com Coaches Poll.
The Lyons finish their season with a 32-12 record, while the Yellow Jackets improve to 35-11 to increase their school record for victories and advance to play Endicott College in the Super Regional.
Wheaton's win total is the eighth-highest in school history.
Baldwin Wallace scored at least one run in all but two innings. The Yellow Jackets took a 2-0 lead after the first inning, before the Lyons got a run back in the second. Baldwin Wallace added a single run in the second, but Wheaton answered with a run of its own in the top of the fourth to keep it a one run game at 3-2. It was as close as the Lyons would get for the remainder of the contest. The Yellow Jackets scored three runs each in back-to-back innings in the fourth and the fifth to create a 9-2 cushion. Wheaton scored twice in the seventh to pull to within 9-4, but Baldwin Wallace wouldn't let up, scoring single runs in the seventh and eighth to take an 11-5 lead, before the Lyons' final rally produced a run in the ninth to make it 11-6.
The Yellow Jackets pounded out 18 hits in the game for the most knocks that the Lyons had given up since March 19 when they allowed the same total to Webster University.
The Yellow Jackets had six players record multiple hits in the game, including senior shortstop Alex Ludwick (Brunswick, Ohio), who was 3-4 with a homer, a double, a walk, three runs batted in and three runs scored. Senior Drew Wilson (Sagamore Hills, Ohio) was 3-5 with an RBI to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team and junior first baseman Luke Vonderhaar (New Bremen, Ohio) cemented the Tournament Most Outstanding Player award after going 1-3 with a home run, two runs batted in and two runs scored. Sophomore catcher Mark Mohnickey Jr. (North Ridgeville, Ohio) was 2-4 with a homer, two runs scored and a run batted in out of the nine hole in the order. Wilson was credited with the win in relief to improve to 8-2, giving up two runs on two hits and three walks to go with two strikeouts in two and a third innings pitched. Senior right-handed starting pitcher Clay Anderson (Broadview Heights, Ohio) yielded two runs on five hits and a walk to go with a pair of strikeouts in four innings of work.
Senior Jake Studley (Barrington, R.I.) was 2-4 with a walk and two runs batted in to give him 98 for his career at Wheaton. He was 11-19 (.579) with two home runs, three doubles, eight RBI, four runs scored and a stolen base in four games and was named to the All-Tournament Team. He finished his career with a 13-game hitting streak and hit .412 (73-177) for the season. His campaign is among the best ever enjoyed by a Lyon. His batting average is the ninth-highest in school history, while his .718 slugging percentage and .490 on-base mark rank as the fifth and seventh-best, respectively. He racked up 127 total bases to stand as the third-most in school annals, while hitting 11 homers for the fourth most. His 19 doubles rank as number three and his 73 hits and 49 runs scored are both the fifth-most in program history.
Junior shortstop Cavan Brady (Great Barrington, Mass.) joined Studley on the All-Tournament squad after going 3-5 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored. He was 7-16 (.438) with two doubles, a triple, two RBI and four runs scored, while classmate Mike Maher (Jefferson, Mass.) hit his first collegiate home run as part of a 2-3 day with two RBI and a run scored. He was also tabbed for the All-Tournament team after hitting .467 (7-15) and registering three multiple hit outings. He doubled and homered in addition to knocking in four runs and scoring three times. Senior starting pitcher Griffin Young (Dover, N.H.) did not pitch in the game, but was named to the All-Tournament team after turning in a complete game victory, allowing three runs (two earned) on just five hits and two walks to go with four strikeouts vs. Johnson & Wales University the day before. Senior starting pitcher Zach Begin (Georgetown, Mass.) was charged with the loss to drop to 3-2 after giving up three runs on five hits and two walks to go with a strikeout in one and two-thirds innings pitched.
Baldwin Wallace hit three home runs in the game, which was a theme for them throughout the tournament and the season. The Yellowjackets wasted no time in going to the long ball with junior Vincent Capolupo (Kenmore, N.Y.) drawing a leadoff walk and then trotting home ahead of Ludwick's ninth home run of the season to give the second-seeded Baldwin Wallace a 2-0 lead after one inning.
The Lyons countered with their own display of power as Maher hit a shot to right field that just kept carrying until it landed over the fence to cut the deficit to 2-1 in the top of the second. The Yellow Jackets matched the run with a two-out score in the bottom of the inning after Mohnickey Jr. beat out an infield single, stole second and scored on a single to right from Capolupo to give Baldwin Wallace a 3-1 margin.
Wheaton pulled to within a run again in the fourth to make it 3-2. Brady doubled to right center and moved to third ahead of a single to center off the bat of senior left fielder Stephen Quigley (Halifax, Mass.). Brady scampered home on a wild pitch to make it a one-run game.
The Yellow Jackets took advantage of three hits, a walk and a hit batter to score three times in the bottom of the fourth to increase their lead to 6-2. Junior second baseman Ryan Guggenheim (Solon, Ohio), who was named to the All-Tournament Team, came through with a two-run single and Wilson followed with an RBI single to plate Vonderhaar with the sixth Baldwin Wallace run.
The Yellow Jackets put the Lyons' backs against the wall with three more runs in the fifth to take a 9-2 advantage. Ludwick doubled home a run and Vanderhaar plated him with his school-record 18th homer of the year for a seven-run lead.
Wheaton scored a pair of runs in the seventh to pull to within 9-4. Studley came through as he had so many times during the weekend with a two-run single to double the Lyons' run total.
Baldwin Wallace just couldn't be denied, scoring another run in the bottom of the inning to increase its lead to 10-4 and become the first team to record 10 or more runs against the Lyons since Suffolk on April 13. Mohnickey Jr. drove the first pitch of the inning over the right field fence to restore a seven-run advantage for the Yellow Jackets.
Wheaton scored a run in the top of the eighth to pull to within 10-5. Brady laced a one-out single to center, was pushed to second ahead of a Quigley walk, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly to right off the bat of Maher.
Baldwin Wallace restored its margin with another run in the bottom of the inning. First year third baseman Sean Kolenich (Parma, Ohio), an All-Tournament Team honoree, smacked a single up the middle, moved to third on a single to right center from Bijan Kamalipour (Frisco, Texas) and scored the Yellow Jackets' 11th run on a wild pitch.
The Lyons looked to rally in the ninth as sophomore center fielder and leadoff hitter AJ Guindon (Coventry, R.I.) and junior third baseman Nick Croteau (Cumerland, R.I.) each reached on consecutive base on balls to open the frame with no outs. Baldwin Wallace was able to retire the next two batters, but senior first baseman Drew Spirito (Cranston, R.I.) gave Wheaton some hope with an RBI single through the right side to cut the margin to 11-5. Wilson, who had moved to the pitching rubber in the seventh for the Yellow Jackets, was able to get a fly out to right field to end the game.