By: Sean Neidig, sports information graduate assistant

GRANVILLE, Ohio – Capital University Baseball stepped onto the chilly field in Granville ready to play against the Denison University Big Red on Sunday afternoon and earned an early lead. Unfortunately for the Crusaders though, one strong inning from the Big Red was enough to beat Capital 5-3.

The Crusaders led 3-0 heading into the eighth inning but ran into trouble for the first time all afternoon. The first three Denison batters safely reached via two singles and walk to load the bases and the Big Red scored its first run of the game on an RBI single to right from Tanner Johnson. An RBI groundout cut the deficit to one. The bases were loaded again following a hit by pitch and then another hit batter brought the tying run home from third. The next batter, Vince Walker then connected on a single to right that scored two and gave Denison a 5-3 advantage.

All five runs in the eighth were scored off of Joseph Borkey (Kirtland, Ohio/Lake Catholic) who took the loss.

The first five innings of the day were scoreless until the Crusaders crossed home plate in the sixth. Travis Gilbert (Marion, Ky./Crittenden County) worked a walk to start the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Three batters later, Gilbert came home on a single from Shayne Lyons (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) that found the grass in left.

After holding the Big Red scoreless again, the Crusaders added two runs to their lead in the seventh. Tyler Osbourne (Newark, Ohio/Newark) got the bats started in the inning with a double and Joe Caporale (Mayfield, Ohio/Mayfield) found himself on first after a walk. After each runner advanced a base on a sac bunt, Zackary Ary (London, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) doubled both of them home and Capital increased its lead to three.

Ary went 1-for-2 with the two RBIs and was one of six Capital batters that recorded a hit.

Starting pitcher Ross Thompson (Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) went seven scoreless innings on the mound for the Crusaders and allowed only four hits while striking out three.

Capital will look to get back in the win column next weekend with three games in Indiana against Franklin College next on the schedule. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, March 17 and finish the series with a game on Sunday.