’Berg Baseball Secures Two More Victories

The Heidelberg College baseball team improved to 7-3 overall following a 7-6 win over Franklin and Marshall and a 15-6 victory over Oglethorpe. Both games were played at Anderson Field on the campus of Oglethorpe in Atlanta, Ga.

Franklin and Marshall jumped out to a 2-0 lead after two innings, but Heidelberg took control of the game in the fourth inning courtesy of a two-run double by Tony Pawlowicz (Montpelier, Ohio / Montpelier). Pawlowicz’s double put the Berg on top 3-2. Heidelberg added a run in the sixth and a Biagio Boytim (Brunswick, Ohio / Brunswick) home run in the seventh inning extended Heidelberg’s lead to 5-2.

The Diplomats did not go away and slowly chipped away at its deficit in its final at bat. Franklin and Marshall batted around its order and recorded four runs on four hits to regain the lead at 6-5. In the bottom of the ninth inning with one out, Pawlowicz belted a home run to left field to tie the score. Two batters later, and with two outs, Tyler Tocco (Dublin, Ohio / Coffman) and L.B. Emrhein (Seven Hills, Ohio / Padua Franciscan) hit back-to-back singles before Jeremy Wentworth (Johnstown, Ohio / St. Charles) stepped to the plate and knocked in Tocco from second for the game-winning run.

Freshman Justin Ocheltree (Bellville, Ohio / Clearfork) earned his first win on the mound for his career, pitching the final inning of action. Andrew McFarland (Mansfield, Ohio / Madison) started the contest and pitched six innings, scattering five hits and striking out 10 batters.

Offensively for the Berg, Jack Bault (Randolph, Ohio / Waterloo) went 3-for-4 with a run scored. Also recording multiple hits was Matt Decker (Maumee, Ohio / Springfield) and Pawlowicz.

Against host Oglethorpe, Wentworth got things going with a lead off home run to start the game. The Berg batted around the order in the second inning, plating six runs on three hits, to hold an early 7-2 lead after two innings. Two more runs crossed home plate on consecutive singles from Pawlowicz and Decker and an Oglethorpe error in the top of the third inning. Oglethorpe held the Berg scoreless for the first time in the contest in inning four and posted two runs of its own. Junior designated hitter Cody James (Belle Center, Ohio / Benjamin Logan) halted the scoreless streak with a sacrifice fly to score Alex Rutter (Bowling Green, Ohio / Bowling Green) in the top of the fifth inning.

Oglethorpe tallied two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Heidelberg held Oglethorpe scoreless the rest of the contest and added four more runs of its own to make the final score 15-6.

Freshman Andrew Hamman (Peru, Ind. / Peru) earned his first collegiate win, pitching 7.0 innings and gave up just five hits and struck out one.

Finishing with three hits apiece in the win was Wentworth and Decker. Wentworth scored five runs, while Rutter and Bault added two runs apiece.

Heidelberg faces Oglethorpe tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. and Franklin and Marshall Thursday at noon before traveling back north.