KRIEGER CRANKS ... Flanked by Ben Buehner and Jimmy Wolverton, Wilmington shortstop Greg Krieger cranks a throw from deep in the hole.

WC splits pair
at Capital

Buehner homers twice for Quakers

[Game 1 Box Score]

[Game 2 Box Score]

May 2, 2006

Ben Buehner

BEXLEY — Wilmington College snapped a four-game losing streak with a 10-4 win over Capital in the opener of an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader Tuesday. The Crusaders earned a split with a 7-6 win over Wilmington in the nightcap.

Wilmington is now 6-10 in OAC play, 14-16 overall. Capital goes to 8-8 in the conference, 16-19 for the season.

Wilmington's offense, which had produced just seven runs in the previous five games, exploded early against the Crusaders.

"We sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning of the first game," WC head coach Tony Haley said. "We changed the batting order a little bit. I led off Taylor Clark, batted Ben Buehner third and moved Tom Harter from the 9-hole to the 2-hole. I just tried to shake some things up and I guess it worked."

Buehner (Germantown/Valley View) homered, singled and drove in three runs and Harter (Westlake) added three hits and scored three times as the Quakers put runs on the board in each of the first five innings. Designated hitter Matt Morris (Hamilton) had three of Wilmington's 14 hits. Second baseman Jimmy Wolverton (London/Madison Plains) had two hits and Clark (Morrow/McCallie, Tenn.) singled and scored a run.

On the mound, junior Jamison George (Mount Sterling/Miami Trace) threw a complete game five-hitter to pick up his third win of the season.

"They hit a solo home run off Jamison in the first inning and that's all they got," Haley said. "He cruised for six innings and then he kind of ran out of gas in the seventh. He pitched the kind of game we needed to get over the hump."

In game two, Buehner ripped his second homer of the day to give WC an early 2-0 lead but Capital responded with four off Wilmington starter Ronnie Campbell (Lynchburg/Lynchburg-Clay) in the bottom of the first. The Crusaders extended the lead to 5-2 with a run in the second.

Wilmington got an RBI single from catcher Ben Butler (Beavercreek/Carroll) and a two-run double from Morris to tie the game in the third. First baseman Mike Kroeger (Cincinnati/Elder) opened the fourth with a single and scored on a wild pitch to give Wilmington a 6-5 lead.

Capital tied the game with a run in the fifth and scored the game-winner in the seventh when Wilmington reliever Matt Meyer (Columbus, Ind./Columbus East) hit a batter with the bases loaded.

"After the first inning, Ronnie really settled down and pitched a good game," Haley said. "We had a couple chances to really bust it open, but we didn't get it done. Capital hung in there, though. They kept coming back."

The Quakers play a nine-inning game at Ohio University 6 p.m. Wednesday.