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Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

By Evan Debo, Sports Information Student Intern

COLUMBUS – The Capital University baseball team posted a fine offensive performance Saturday to defeat Muskingum 13-6 in the first game of an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader at Clowson Field.

The Crusaders (14-12 overall, 4-5 OAC) dropped the second game 7-1 to finish with their second consecutive league split.

In Game 1 of the double-header, the Crusaders defeated the Muskies (5-19, 4-5) in a seven-inning contest as they busted out the bats for 16 hits. 

Sophomore RHP Robert Fravel (Port Clinton, Ohio) picked up the win for the Crusaders, pushing his record to 4-1 on the year as he put in six solid innings of work allowing seven hits and three runs (two earned).

Capital was able to jump out early on in the first inning 3-0 as they primarily played small ball with a series of timely singles and fundamental plays.

From there the Crusaders tacked on six insurance runs in the next two innings, including a seven-run second as they led 12-0 heading into the top of the fourth.

The bulk of the production for the Crusaders came from the middle of their lineup, where the trio of junior right fielder Taylor Branisel (South Euclid, Ohio), sophomore designated hitter Matt Carnahan (Moundsville, West Virginia) and senior first baseman Brandon Natale (Westerville, Ohio) combined to bat .417 (5-for-12) with a home run (Carnahan) and seven runs batted in.

Senior left fielder Dean Lanholz (Pittsburgh, Pa.) also had a productive contest at the plate for Capital as he went 2-for-3 with three RBIs.

For most of the game Fravel and the Crusader defense were on cruise control until the top of the seventh, when the Muskies plated three runs to make the score 13-6 and force a second Crusader pitching change in the inning. Freshman Tyler Griego (Hillsboro, Ohio) closed out the affair, retiring both hitters he faced.

Capital found itself down 4-0 after the first inning of Game 2 and the bats drastically cooled down from their 16-hit outing earlier in the afternoon.

Senior right-hander Garret Griffin (Grandview, Ohio) was the pitcher of record for the Crusaders in the loss, dropping to 1-2 on the year.

Capital found itself on the wrong end of a Muskingum no-hit bid that went into the seventh inning, when Natale broke it up with a single to right. The Crusaders finally pushed a run across in the bottom of the eighth when Carnahan knocked in freshman catcher Ryan McSweeney (Seven Hills, Ohio) with a single.

Capital resumes play this Tuesday at Mount Union. First pitch of the conference doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m. in Alliance.

NOTES

Before the start of Game 1 the men's basketball team was honored for its 2012-13 regular season OAC title as a part of the NCAA's Division III Week. Senior captains Michael Sommer and Spencer Niekamp threw out the ceremonial first pitches of the ball game. Also in attendance were fellow seniors Tim Congrove and Mitch Westerheide.