Contact: Brock Reisler, Assistant Executive Director, breisler@midwestconference.org
 
GRANVILLE, Ohio – Playing in its first-ever NCAA Tournament contest, the Grinnell College baseball program dropped a 5-4 decision in walk-off fashion to Denison University, the nation’s top-ranked team, on Friday afternoon at Big Red Field.
 
Grinnell threatened in each of the first three innings – putting runners in scoring position in each frame – and struck first in the third thanks to a one-out, RBI double from Joe Chanis. Then, the lead doubled on a sacrifice fly by Wyatt Raymond. However, Denison responded in the bottom of the inning. Loading the bases with nobody out, a pair of sacrifice flies knotted the game at two.
 
Tied at two apiece in the seventh, the Big Red pulled in front for the first time with back-to-back, two-out hits in grabbing a 3-2 lead. The lead was short-lived, though, as Stuart Cash evened the score in the eighth with an RBI single and the go-ahead run scored on a single by Maddux Anderson.
 
The seesaw battle continued in the bottom of the eight, as Denison would not go away. The Big Red tied the score at four, but Grinnell stranded the go-ahead run on base.
 
The Pioneers appeared to be headed to extra innings after pitcher Connor Pink retired the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth. However, a walk-off single followed a two-out double and Denison escaped in the opening game of the regional.
 
Nikolas Ruden led Grinnell offensively, going 4-for-5 with a run scored. Cash also had a multi-hit game (2x4, RBI) as the Pioneers had an 11-9 hits advantage.
 
Shea Goel got the start on the mound and earned a no-decision, going 4.1 innings while allowing three hits and two earned runs. Pink took the loss after pitching the ninth inning.
 
Grinnell will play in an elimination game on Saturday at 10 a.m. against either #24 SUNY Cortland or Kalamazoo. With a win, the Pioneers would advance to play Saturday night at 5 p.m.