April 27, 2023

No. 4 BW Baseball Clinches Share of OAC Title, Sweeps Capital for Ninth Straight OAC Win

More news about: Baldwin Wallace

By Athletic Communications Student Assistant Joe Meyer '24

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The No. 4 nationally ranked Baldwin Wallace University baseball team clinched a share of the Ohio Athletic Conference regular season title and registered its fourth consecutive sweep in OAC play on Thursday, picking up two wins over Capital University at Huntington Park, the home of the Cleveland Guardians' AAA affiliate Columbus Clippers.

The Yellow Jackets posted their highest offensive output of the season in an 18-4 victory in game one before completing the sweep with a 9-2 win in game two, extending their winning streak in OAC action to nine games. BW can clinch the OAC regular season title outright and earn the right to host the conference tournament for the first time since 2019 with a win in next week's doubleheader against crosstown rival John Carroll University.

Game One
BW (28-6, 13-2 OAC) was led by senior catcher JT Mazula (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) who reached base in all five of his plate appearances, going 2-for-2 with three walks and a RBI. Senior All-American infielder Luke Vonderhaar (New Breman) went 2-for-4 with a walk at the plate, scored twice, and led all players with a game-high 3 RBI.

Scoring Plays

  • BW got out to a hot start with a three-run first, scoring on RBI singles by Vonderhaar and senior Academic All-OAC utility Ryan Guggenheim (Solon), and an RBI groundout by senior first baseman Alexis Castillo (Sunrise, Fla./The Sagemont School).
  • The Yellow Jackets got back in back into the scoring column in the third on an RBI groundout by senior outfielder Andrew Parker (Toledo/Toledo Central Catholic).
  • Freshman infielder Matt Terzola (Uniontown/Archbishop Hoban) followed with a two-out RBI single through the left side to make it a 5-0 game.
  • Capital brought two runs back in the bottom of the third on a RBI single by freshman infielder Ty Clinton and a bases-loaded walk by senior catcher EJ Santana.
  • BW wasted no time responding, as Guggenheim laced his second RBI single of the afternoon to make it a 6-2 game.
  • The Comets' Santana delivered an RBI single to cut the lead to 6-3.
  • Guggenheim scored on a passed ball in the top of the sixth, the first of eight BW runs in the inning.
  • Two-run doubles by Vonderhaar, Parker, and senior infielder Sean Kolenich (Parma/St. Edward) and an RBI triple by senior catcher JT Mazula (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills) capped an eight-run inning, putting the Yellow Jackets up 14-3 after six.
  • The onslaught continued in the seventh inning, with a sacrifice fly by Terzola, an RBI single by senior All-OAC outfielder Vincent Capolupo (Kenmore, N.Y./St. Joseph's Collegiate), and an RBI double by junior infielder Nick Clark (Willowick/Notre Dame Cathedral Latin).
  • Capital scratched one run across in the seventh, but BW closed out a shortened 18-4 win in seven innings.

On the Mound

  • Sophomore right-handed pitcher Dylan Snyder (Stow/Archbishop Hoban) got the start for BW and went three innings, allowing two runs on six hits.
  • Senior All-OAC right-handed pitcher Dawson Gabe (Lawrence, Ind.) threw four innings in relief and picked up his fifth win of the season, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out five.

Game Two
BW (29-6, 14-2 OAC) was led by the veteran trio of Kolenich, Vonderhaar, and Guggenheim in game two, as all three players recorded a team-high two hits. Capolupo and Mazula led all players with two RBI as the Yellow Jackets rode an all-around team effort to a 9-2 victory in game two.

Scoring Plays

  • Clark delivered an RBI single through the right side to get BW on the board in the first inning.
  • In the top of the second, Terzola reached on an RBI fielder's choice to extend the lead to 2-0.
  • BW added two more in the fourth inning as Mazula snuck a two-run single inside the first base line.
  • Capital pulled two runs back over the next two innings, scoring on RBI groundouts by Clifton and senior infielder Logan White, cutting the BW lead to 4-2 after five innings.
  • Capolupo laced a two-out, two-run double in the top of the sixth and nearly scored on the play after a Capital error.
  • The BW lead grew to 7-2 in the eighth inning after an RBI infield single by senior Academic All-OAC outfielder Nick Stoltz (Geneva).
  • Guggenheim capped off a 27-run day for the Yellow Jackets with a two-run double in the top of the ninth, as BW closed out a 9-2 win in game two.

On the Mound

  • Senior Academic All-OAC left-handed pitcher Nik Baldis (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) picked up the start and his sixth win of the year, going 5.1 innings and allowing two runs on four hits while also striking out seven.
  • Senior right-handed pitcher Garrett Miller (McMurray, Pa.) earned his second save of the season, closing the game with 3.2 innings out of the bullpen, allowing no runs on two hits and striking out five.

Beyond the Box Score

  • The Yellow Jackets will clinch the OAC regular season title outright with one win in their doubleheader against JCU on Friday, May 5, or with one loss by Ohio Northern University and Marietta College in either team's final four OAC games.

Up Next
The Yellow Jackets return to play on Sunday, April 30, when they'll host a Top 15 matchup against No. 13 nationally ranked Denison University on the Fisher Field at 2:00 p.m.