By Evan Lee
Regional Correspondent

WOOSTER, OHIO – No. 4 (DII) Lexington 15-1 and No. 34 (DI) Wooster 10-4 faced off in an Ohio Cardinal Conference showdown that matched the two top teams in the conference.

Lexington sent their ace to the mound in junior Zach Temple and Wooster countered with senior Wooster College recruit Nick Buckingham.

Wooster broke out on top in the bottom of the first as senior Aric Saal hit a solo shot to left field to put Wooster up 1-0.

The game stayed 1-0 through the first four innings. Temple struggled early, but escaped each inning. He walked the bases loaded in the second, gave up a single in the third that was erased on a 6-4-3 double-play, and gave up two singles in the fourth.

In the meantime, Buckingham was cruising. His only early blemishes included a one out single to Oakland recruit Zach Sterry in the first and an errant hit-by-pitch in the second. But, he followed by the next nine batters he faced.

In the fifth, Lexington took the momentum as Buckingham struck out senior James Watkins on a breaking ball in the dirt, but it bounced away from the senior catcher Seth Carnahan. Watkins managed to take first base on the play, and senior Alex Gerrell followed with a perfect placed bunt that Wooster sophomore Aaron Saal misplayed at third base. With runners on first and second, junior Nate Arnholt placed a well-executed sac-bunt to move both runners into scoring position with just one out. Buckingham was able to strike out senior Derek Weirick for the second out. Heidelberg recruit Mason Willeke scorched a single up the middle to score two runs and put Lexington up 2-1. Sterry then delivered with a shot off the fence in right to score Willeke and make it a 3-1 game.

Wooster responded quickly in the bottom half of the inning. Carnahan laced a two-out single, his third hit of the game, and sophomore Cam Daugherty delivered a blast to left to tie the score at three.

The game stayed tied until the seventh.

After Buckingham struck out the first batter of the inning, Weirick drew a walk and Willeke delivered a double to left to put the runners on first and second base. Coach Boyd decided to intentionally walk Sterry to load the bases, and junior Brody Basilone drew a walk that put Lexington up 4-3. Sophomore Evan Lee then delivered a rope back up the middle to make it 6-3. Lexington added another run as Watkins singled to make it 7-3.

Lexington sent Lee to the mound in the seventh to protect the lead. After a two-base error on junior Adam Johnson in right, Lee retired the next three batters to end the game.

State ranked Lexington moves to 16-1 (9-0) in the conference, while Wooster falls to 10-5 and two games behind Lexington in the conference at 6-2. The two teams will hook up again tomorrow at Lexington.

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