Behind Drew Becker's pitching and a big fourth inning, Wooster completes sweep of Ashland

ASHLAND — If patience is the key to success, then the Wooster baseball team may be on to something special.

Behind a dominant pitching performance by Drew Becker and a seven-run fourth inning in which the Generals generated just two base hits, Wooster cruised to a decisive 9-1 victory over Ashland in a key Ohio Cardinal Conference matchup Thursday at Ashland University's Tomassi Stadium.

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After the Generals beat Ashland 5-0 on Wednesday, both teams entered the game with just a single league loss. Wooster improved to 8-1 in OCC play and 14-4 overall with the win, remaining in a tie atop the conference standings with Mount Vernon. The Arrows dropped to 9-7, 8-2.

“We talk all the time that the job is not finished,” said Wooster coach Steve Young. “Ashland is a quality team, and we knew that going into the game. We have looked forward to this week for quite a while as we knew what they were doing. We knew the challenge ahead of us, and they threw two quality pitchers.

“We just tried to stay patient and have a quality approach at the plate. When we are patient and working counts, it can get a team flustered. Next, we are running and going from first to third on hits and scoring from first on a double. All that puts pressure on a team and speeds a defense up.”

Big fourth inning jumpstarts the Generals offense

After Wooster took a two-run lead in the third inning on two wild pitches by Ashland, the Generals put the game away with a seven-run fourth.

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The patience Young talked about was on display as Wooster took full advantage of two one-out walks to start the inning that were quickly followed by a hit batter.

Zach Harpster’s sharp single plated two runs for a 4-0 lead. After two more walks, Becker’s fielder's choice scored another run. Sam Nielsen then spanked a two-run double to give Wooster a commanding 9-1 lead.

Ashland mustered only four hits in 14 innings over the two games.

“It’s hard to win ballgames when you don’t hit the ball,” said Ashland coach Rick Gough. “In the two-game series, I think we only had four hits, and that puts an awful lot of pressure on your pitching staff. I mean, if you take away the one inning we had tonight, it is a pretty close ballgame.”

Gough lamented that the Arrows need to do a better job in the game’s finer details.

“It is a lot of little things,” he said. “I don’t know how many passed balls or wild pitches we had tonight. Four, I think. And that was huge. We had a couple of plays in the outfield we almost made but didn’t.

“Hats off to Wooster as they are a good team. They were league champs last year for a reason, and I think it’s going to be tough for anybody this year. They very easily could repeat as champions if they can get by next week. Coach Young is a good coach, and they out-pitched and out-hit us tonight. That is pretty simple.”

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Ethan Bunce had Ashland’s only hit of the game. Wooster got two hits and two RBIs from both Harpster and Nielsen.

Pitching, defense play big role in sweep of Ashland

Becker’s final line of allowing one run on one hit while striking out six in seven innings was impressive, but the Generals defense made the big plays when needed.

In the fifth inning, Ashland’s Alex Grissinger lined a shot toward Wooster third baseman Brady Bowen, who dove to his left and threw a dart to first baseman Nielsen, who scooped the low throw for the putout.

Those kinds of efforts are not lost on Young.

“He is another freshman for us,” said Young. “He made a big play, and you don’t want to lose any momentum in a big game like this. He made the play, and our first baseman made a nice pick. That play is awesome for a freshman.

“All of these kids listen, and they work, and they seem to have bought in to the next-pitch mentality for us. We are just going to try and keep building them up.”

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Wooster uses solid pitching, big 4th inning to beat Ashland