MASON, Ohio – The Kentucky Wesleyan baseball team completed another comeback and defeated top-seeded Ashland 6-4 to advance to the G-MAC semifinals at Prasco Park on Thursday.
With the game tied 4-4 in the top of the ninth after Wesleyan erased an early 3-0 deficit, Jacob Riegel launched a 2-0 fastball into the right field seats for a solo shot to put the Panthers up for good.
KWC will now play the winner of Ohio Dominican vs. Ashland (tonight at 6:15 PM CT) tomorrow at 1:00 PM CT at Prasco Park. Thanks to the double-elimination format, Wesleyan will have two opportunities to advance to the G-MAC Championship game against whichever program wins tonight's game.
The Eagles jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning against starter Ethan Ell, but the starter settled in strongly and delivered an impressive seven-inning, 125-pitch outing with a career-high 11 strikeouts and only three earned runs allowed.
Later in the game, Colson Perry worked a leadoff walk to open the top of the fifth before Ashland decided to go to the bullpen to replace the G-MAC Pitcher of the Year, Drew Becker, after just 4.0 shutout innings pitched and 59 pitches thrown. Following the change, Logan Molnar reached on a fielder's choice and Tucker Hagan singled to put two runners on with one out.
The two baserunners executed a double steal to both move into scoring position for Liam Hutson. The center fielder came through with a double to left center, driving in Molnar and Hagan and cutting Wesleyan's deficit to 3-2.
Ashland immediately got a run back in the bottom of the fifth to increase their lead to 4-2. After Ell struck out two more Eagles in a shutout sixth, Elijah Stockton set the Panthers up with a one-out double in the top of the seventh and Hutson once again took advantage with an RBI single to pull KWC within one at 4-3. After AU recorded the second out, Baron Ratliff followed with another Wesleyan double down the right field line to tie the game at 4-4.
Ell gutted out an impressive seventh inning to complete his career start before head coach Todd Lillpop called on David Castleberry for his second consecutive day of work. The righty worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning to set up Wesleyan's raucous top of the ninth, and after Riegel's game-winning homer, the Panthers added a sixth run thanks to an Eagles error to head to the bottom of the ninth up 6-4.
Castleberry stayed on for second inning of work and tallied two strikeouts while working around a single to earn the win and send Wesleyan to the G-MAC semifinals for the first time since 2022.
Each of Huson, Hurt, Perry, and Hagan had two hits on the afternoon. Hutson led the way with three RBIs and a double, and all three of Ratliff, Hurt, and Stockton logged doubles to add to Riegel's home run.
For the full G-MAC Tournament bracket and more information, click here.
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