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Box Score 2
The Capital University baseball team was unable to find a rhythm offensively Thursday, falling in consecutive games at Marietta in an Ohio Athletic Conference doubleheader at Don Schaly Stadium in Marietta, Ohio.
The Crusaders (11-16 overall, 2-10 OAC) were defeated 5-0 in the first game and 6-0 in the nightcap.
In the second game, Capital started the contest with consecutive base hits by senior outfielders Nate Campbell (Latrobe, Pa.) and Taylor Branisel (South Euclid, Ohio), but stranded the runners. The Crusaders also led off the second and third innings with hits, but were unable to push a run across the plate, leaving six runners on base in the contest.
The Pioneers (20-10, 9-3), who are receiving votes in the D3baseball.com Top 25 Poll, tallied three runs in the first and didn't look back, adding insurance runs in the third, fifth and seventh frames.
Freshman RHP Michael Davis (Fairfield, Ohio) started and took the loss for Capital, falling to 1-2 on the year. Senior righty Jeremy Finchum (Galloway, Ohio) took the ball in relief and allowed just one earned run in four innings. Senior left-hander Jared Lee (North Bend, Ohio) tossed a scoreless eighth inning for the Crusaders.
Campbell led the team with two hits, while Branisel, freshman designated hitter Logan Bastin (Lexington, Ohio), sophomore catcher Kirby Boehm (Worthington, Ohio) and junior shortstop Austin Underwood (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) also recorded hits.
In the opener, Capital was out-hit 10-1 by Marietta, which tallied one in the first, two in the fifth and two in the eighth.
Junior right-hander Robert Fravel (Port Clinton, Ohio) turned in a solid performance as the starter on the mound despite dropping to 2-4 on the year. He allowed just three runs in seven innings of work, scattering eight hits while striking out six.
Branisel registered the Crusaders' lone hit – a single down the left field line with two outs in the eighth frame. Campbell reached base three times for Capital, all on walks.
The Crusaders visit John Carroll this Friday at 1 p.m. for another OAC doubleheader.
