Huge sixth inning leads College of Wooster past John Carroll

WOOSTER — A return to the friendly confines of Art Murray Field offered a reset for The College of Wooster baseball team, which exploded for a nine-run sixth inning in Wednesday’s 12-6 win over future North Coast Athletic Conference rival John Carroll University.

Sophomore catcher Nathaniel Huxtable ended John Carroll’s (5-12) no-hit bid in the bottom of the fifth inning with a leadoff homer to left field that tied the non-conference clash at two. Huxtable’s first collegiate homer woke up Wooster’s (10-8) offense. The Fighting Scots took the lead later in the inning on a Michael Persichetti throwing error that allowed junior third baseman Nick Pett to score from second base.

The flood gate opened come the bottom of the sixth inning with Wooster sending 14 Scots to the plate and eight different players scored a run in the frame. Senior shortstop Eli Westrick’s single to center field scored Wooster’s first run of the inning, and the All-American took another John Carroll pitch back up the middle for a two-run single later in the frame. Sophomore right fielder Dan Hanson’s two-run double upped Wooster’s lead to 6-2, then junior second baseman Andy Heintz smacked a two-run single through the right side of John Carroll’s infield. Sophomore center fielder John Panstares scored on a John Carroll wild pitch, while Heintz touched home on a Blue Streaks’ balk.

Wooster took the lead in the first inning without the aid of a hit. Westrick and Pett drew back-to-back walks and moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch. Westrick scored when Hanson reached on an error. First baseman Jack Harmon booted a grounder off Hanson’s bat.

First-year first baseman Zack Barienbrock saved a run in the top of the fifth inning. He recovered an offline pickoff throw in time to throw out Eric Krowl at the plate. Earlier, first-year starter Noah Kasper painted the corner to ring Harmon up on strikes to strand a pair of Blue Streaks on the bases in the first inning.

Westrick reached base safely four times on two hits and two walks. The shortstop added three RBI and two runs scored. Huxtable went 2-for-2 with two runs scored. Hanson matched Westrick for the team lead in RBI at three.

Kasper allowed a run on five hits with four strikeouts in three innings. First-year Isaiah Vance collected his first collegiate win. Vance entered in the fifth inning and worked 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Junior Thomas Gfell worked two scoreless innings of relief and struck out two.

Thomas Bates was productive out of the nine hole for John Carroll, finishing 4-for-5 with three RBI. Brandon Ferdinando (1-1) took the loss after allowing four runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings of relief.

Next Wooster opens NCAC play against Oberlin College (9-8, 0-0 NCAC). Saturday’s doubleheader at Art Murray Field is scheduled to start at noon.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Huge sixth inning leads College of Wooster past John Carroll