BEREA, Ohio - April 17, 2023 - Hiram came close to knocking off the No. 4 team in Division III baseball on Monday afternoon, taking an early 2-0 lead and keeping it close throughout the game before falling short, 8-5, to Baldwin Wallace.

Mike Midea reached base safely in 3 of his 4 plate appearances and scored a game-high 3 runs. His fellow freshman, Logan Gallentine, also knocked in 2 runs for the second consecutive game.

The Yellow Jackets entered the week ranked 4th in the D3baseball.com national rankings, with only Birmingham-Southern, Salisbury and Shenandoah ahead of them. 

The Terriers scored the first two runs of the game on an RBI single by Kobe Hunter and a fielder's choice groundout by Gallentine that brought around Midea. Starting pitcher Jacob Koces held the opposition scoreless through the first two frames, which included a pair of double plays.

Baldwin Wallace broke through for 4 runs in the third inning, but Hiram kept them off the scoreboard for the following two innings. It was just a 2-run deficit through the fifth.

Hiram tied the game in the top of the sixth thanks to a wild pitch and a Gallentine sacrifice fly. Baldwin Wallace responded with a run in the home half of the inning to take a 5-4 lead, but Koces escaped trouble and gave his team a chance to beat one of the best teams in the country – final line: 6 IP, 7 H, 5 R/ER, 2 BB, 1 K.

The Yellow Jackets would outscore Hiram, 3-1, over the final three innings to hold on for the victory. They improved to 23-5 on the season.

For the Terriers, it marks a strong start to a key week in their schedule. They'll take the next four days off before hosting a doubleheader against Denison on Saturday and traveling to New Wilmington, PA for a single game against Westminster on Sunday.