Baseball sweeps Capital

The Muskingum baseball team swept Capital on Tuesday afternoon. In game one, the Muskies defeated the Crusaders 10-0. In game two, Muskingum won 12-10.

• Records: Muskingum (8-16 overall, 3-5 OAC), Capital (7-17 overall, 2-5 OAC)
• Location: Bexley, Ohio

Muskingum jumped out to an early lead after freshman Chayce Lundell hit an RBI single through the right side. Then, in the top of the second inning, the Muskies added four more runs. Freshman Brett Carson drove in two runs after blasting a single through the right side. Sophomore Matt Stewart came home after a fielding error by the Crusaders to make it 4-0. Then, senior Michael Pagano crossed the plate on a fielding error by the defense.

In the top of the third, Pagano singled through the right side, driving in two runners. 

The Muskies continued to control play in the top of the sixth when junior Holden Martin singled to center field, bringing home two runners. 

In the top of the seventh inning, Lundell blasted an RBI single to right field, making the score read 10-0. The Muskies rode this momentum en route to their road victory.

Senior Evan Hinds earned the win for Muskingum on the mound. Hinds pitched 7.0 innings and allowed no runs on five hits while striking out four batters. Clay Piatt took the loss for Capital. Piatt pitched 3.0 innings and allowed seven runs on 10 hits while notching one strikeout. 

Freshman Chayce Lundell led the Muskies with three hits and three RBIs. Beau Otto guided the Crusaders with two hits.

Muskingum took a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first when Lundell doubled down the left field line, driving in two runs.

Capital answered in the bottom of the first by scoring a run to make it 2-1. 

In the top of the second, Carson hit an RBI single to right field and Pagano blasted an RBI double down the right field line to give the Muskies a 4-1 edge.

The Crusaders managed to score a run in the bottom of the second inning, but Muskingum was quick to answer in the top of the third. Here, Lundell scored on a throwing error by the defense. Then, Carson brought in two runs after hitting a single up the middle, granting the Muskies an 8-2 lead.

In the top of the fourth inning, Martin tripled to right field, bringing in two runners to extend Muskingum's lead to 10-2.

Capital rallied in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings, scoring a total of five runs to make it 10-7.

In the top of the seventh inning, Stewart tripled to right field, allowing freshman Sam Pinckert to score. Then, senior Marc Ibarra blasted an RBI single to center field. 

Capital was able to score three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, but the Muskie defense held strong and secured their third OAC victory.

Junior Josh Bigrigg earned the win for Muskingum. Bigrigg pitched 5.0 innings and allowed seven runs on 16 hits. Pagano notched his first save of the year, pitching 1.0 inning and allowing no runs on no hits. Anthony Gannon took the loss for the Crusaders. He allowed six runs on six hits in 2.0 innings of work. 

Freshman Brett Carson led the Muskies at the plate with one run on two hits and three RBIs. Drew Ellis guided the Crusaders with one run on four hits and two RBIs.

The Muskies next host Ohio Wesleyan on Thursday, April 11. Game time is slated for 4:00 p.m.