Vikings Hold Titans Scoreless

Ben Coker pitched a two-hit shutout to propel Berry College to a 3-0 home win over the UW-Oshkosh baseball team Friday (March 6) in Mount Berry, Ga.

Coker (5-0), who leads the NCAA Division III in wins, limited the Titans to seven baserunners. He allowed a first-inning single and a sixth-inning double while issuing a pair of walks and hitting three batters.

Berry College (9-3), which extended its winning streak to five games, scored twice in the home half of the third inning and once in the fifth frame on the way to recording its first shutout of the season.

Coker outdueled UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Will Michalski (0-2), who went the distance and allowed three runs (one earned) on six hits and one walk with one strikeout. The complete game was Michalski's first of the season and second career.

Tyler Colvert went 3-for-4 with two runs batted in and one stolen base for the Vikings while Trevor Proctor scored twice.

Matt Scherrman and Hunter Staniske accounted for UW-Oshkosh's hits in its first ever meeting with Berry College.

After Coker pitched around a pair of baserunners in the top of the first inning, Berry College stranded runners at second base in the first and second innings before breaking through with two runs in the third on Calvert's RBI single and an insurance run on a double-play groundout. Calvert added another RBI single in the fifth inning to extend the Viking lead to 3-0.

Coker retired 12 consecutive Titan batters until hitting Matt McNabb with a pitch with two outs in the fifth inning. Staniske later belted a double down the left-field line with two outs in the sixth frame, and Ethan Schreier followed with a walk to put the potential tying runs on base. However, Coker escaped the inning with a lineout and proceeded to set down 10 of the last 12 batters he faced to earn the win.

UW-Oshkosh continues its trip to the Peach State against Adrian College (Mich.) on Saturday (March 7) in Mount Berry.

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Zuberbier