NEED A HAND? ... High-fives are abundant when the Quakers are on the field.

Quakers drop 10-7 game
to Notre Dame College

Clark raises average to .408 with three hits

[Box Score]

May 5, 2006

Kenny Branscom

Missed opportunities haunted Wilmington College as the Quakers lost to Notre Dame College, 10-7, Friday at Tewksbury-Delaney Field.

Wilmington is now 14-18 on the season while Notre Dame traveled back to Cleveland with a 19-27 mark.

"We left 13 runners on base and committed two costly errors," WC head coach Tony Haley said. "You can't leave 13 runners on base and make errors on defense and win ballgames. It's that simple."

The Quakers pounded out 12 hits, but left the bases loaded once and left two runners on base in four different innings.

The Quakers and Falcons traded runs over the first three innings, then Wilmington took a 4-2 lead in a fourth-inning rally that featured senior second baseman Jimmy Wolverton's (London/Madison Plains) second home run of the season.

Notre Dame chased Wilmington starter Brody Burson (Hillsboro/Lynchburg-Clay) with four runs in the fifth, then took a 9-4 lead with two runs in the sixth and a tally in the seventh.

The Quakers plated a run in the seventh on junior right fielder Jamison George's (Mount Sterling/Miami Trace) RBI single, then added two in the ninth on a run-scoring triple by George and an RBI single from Taylor Clark (Morrow/McCallie, Tenn.).

Clark continued his torrid pace with three hits and two runs scored. The junior center fielder is hitting team-high .408. He also picked up his team-leading 14th stolen base of the spring.

Junior catcher Ben Butler (Beavercreek/Carroll) drove in two runs with a pair of hits and senior third baseman Ben Buehner (Germantown/Valley View) added two singles.

Wilmington will close the season with an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader against Baldwin-Wallace 1 p.m. Saturday at Tewksbury-Delaney Field.