BEREA -- Seniors played a critical role as the fifth-seeded Heidelberg University baseball team defeated fourth-seeded Baldwin Wallace University in the quarterfinals of the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament.  HU won 7-3 and advances to Thursday's semifinal round.  

HU travels to Alliance to face the No. 2 seed, Mount Union.  On the other side of the bracket, No. 6 John Carroll travels to No. 1 Marietta.  Both games are scheduled for 4 p.m. starts.  

Baldwin Wallace scored a run in the bottom of the first inning on a two-out single by Drew Wilson.  

Kyle Jenkins doubled with one out in the third, then moved to third on an infield single by Robert Hunt.  Zach Doran doubled into the left field corner, scoring Jenkins.  Tyler Smith grounded out to second, which allowed Hunt to score the go-ahead run.  

The Yellow Jackets tied the game in the sixth with another two-out single, this time off the bat of Jacob Bonner.  

The determined Student Princes responded quickly.  With runners on second and third and two outs, Hunt delivered a clutch two-run single to right.  

After a 1-2-3 inning by reliever John Hassler, Heidelberg added on in the top of the eighth.  Smith and Marc Ochoa reached with singles, but remained on first and second with two outs.  Stephen Currie, who entered as a defensive replacement in the seventh, turned on a pitch and drove it over the fence in left for a three-run homer.  

Trailing 7-2, BW loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth.  After the Yellow Jackets plated a run with a hit by pitch, Closer Cameron Deemer entered.  He helped The Berg avoid further damage with a strikeout and a fly out.  

Deemer returned to the mound in the ninth and retired the vaunted top-third of the BW lineup in order, earning his sixth save of the year.

Ross Thompson (5-2) threw six full innings, allowing two runs on seven hits.  He struck out four.  

Both sides finished with nine hits.  

The winner of Thursday's semifinals meet on Friday for a doubleheader at the highest remaining seed.  If the semifinalists split, the championship game will be held Saturday.