PORT CHARLOTTE, Florida  -- The 17th-ranked (March 8 D3baseball.com Division III national poll) Baldwin Wallace University baseball team defeated Salem State (Mass.) College, 9-5, in its final game of its annual spring break trip to Port Charlotte, Florida to finish with a perfect 8-0 record.  The Yellow Jackets outscored the opposition, 63-32.

Two big innings keyed today's win as BW scored five times in the third and four more in the eighth.

Against Salem State, BW opened the scoring in the bottom of the third inning when it scored five times. Freshman catcher Trent Kaltenbach (Plain City/ Kettering Alter) led off with a walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After an out another wild pitch and another out, the Jackets started the assault. Sophomore third baseman Cole Nieto (Brunswick/ Cleveland St. Ignatius) doubled home Kaltenbach and scored when senior All-American first baseman Kyle Chontos (Pickerington/ North) singled. Chontos moved yup on a passed ball and scored when junior two-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference second baseman/ pitcher Mark Zimmerman (Akron/ Green) doubled. Zimmerman scored when junior All-OAC designated hitter Hunter Handel (Akron/ Green) singled. After Handel moved up on another wild pitch, senior All-OAC shortstop Eric Murphy (Brook Park/ Midpark) singled him home.

Salem State came right back with a solo home run in the fourth and a three-run shot in the fifth to close its deficit and the Yellow Jacket lead to 5-4.

In the eighth, Zimmerman led off with a double. After two outs, junior OF Jerry Scholle (inckley/ Medina Highland) singled home Zimmerman for a 6-4 lead and then stole second. He came home on a double by Kaltenbach to make it 7-4 and Kaltenbach scored a batter later when junior Academic All-OAC OF John Taylor (Hudson/ Stow) singled him home for an 8-4 advantage. Taylor scored the final run when senior All-OAC OF Zach Ferster (Olmsted Falls) tripled.

Salem State scored its final run in the ninth.

At the plate, BW outhit Salem State, 13-10. Four Yellow Jackets each had a pair of base hits. Nieto was 2-for-4 with a run scored, a run batted-in (RBI), a double and a triple. Chontos was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Zimmerman was 2-for-4 with a run scored, an RBI and two doubles. Ferster was 2-for-5 with an RBI, a double and a triple.

On the mound, junior right-hander Alex Albright (North Royalton) started and pitched the first six innings to improve to 2-0. He allowed eight base hits, including the two hmers, four runs (all earned), struck out six and walked four. He was followed to the mound by junior righty Connor Murphy (Westford, Mass./ Northeast) who pitched the final three innings to earn his first save. He allowed two hits and one run (Earned), struck out two and walked two.

The Yellow Jackets retiurn to action on Saturday, March 21 when BW opens Ohio Athletic Conference play at Heidelberg University in Tiffin in a doubleheader at 1:00 p.m.  After playing at Allegheny (Pa.) College on March 24, BW opens its home schedule against 12th-ranked Marietta College on Saturday, March 28 in a doubleheader at Heritage Field at 1:00 p.m.