W&J POSTGAME INTERVIEWS - Jeff Mountain, Kyle Smith, Derek Helbing

WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The 2015 Washington & Jefferson baseball season ended with a 4-1 loss to La Roche in the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional.

It was the twin killer that ended Washington and Jefferson's season and propelled La Roche to championship Saturday in Mideast Regional play at Ross Memorial Park on Friday.

The No. 4 Redhawks (32-12) turned four double plays en route to a 4-1 win over the No. 6 seed and host Presidents (29-17).

"That is a tough pill to swallow," Presidents coach Jeff Mountain said. "Baseball can be a pretty cruel sport. I think today kind of exemplifies that. I give La Roche a lot of credit. They played well and have a great coach in Chase Rowe who turned that program around."

A big part of the Redhawks plans was the addition of Tyler Craig. Craig entered the game yesterday after Colin Williamson went down with an injury and maintained in the lineup tonight. He was responsible for turning each double play.

"When Williamson went down yesterday, we went with Craig and we stuck with him today," La Roche coach Chase Rowe said. "He is a great defender. David (Lemely) throws the splitter and gets a ton of ground balls. Craig deserves a ton of credit for us turning those double plays."

Responsible for inducing those double plays was sophomore David Lemely. Lemely went the distance, allowing one run on five hits. Lemely redeemed his performance from earlier in the year when he struggled against the Presidents in a no decision.

"I can't thank my defense enough today," Lemely said. "They were incredible. Every time I was in a jam, they bailed me out. I felt like if I got the ball over the plate, my defense was going to be able to pick me up. I just got on a roll there."

One of the players grounding into a double play was sophomore Derek Helbing. Helbing was also responsible for the Presidents lone run with an RBI single.

"When I got up to bat with runners on first and second and grounded into a double play, it was pretty frustrating," Helbing said. "I don't think it is emotionally draining, just a little bad luck."

Offensively, Cory Podvasnik led the charge for the Redhawks, going 2-for-4 with 3 RBIs and a two run home run to increase the lead from 2-1 to 4-1 in the sixth inning. It was Podvasnik's 11th home run of the season, breaking the school record for most home runs in a single season.

"I was thinking about it coming into the game and into the tournament," Podvasnik said. "I just wanted to end my baseball career on top. I just wanted to show everyone that I belong out there."

The win also marked the 32 of the season for the Redhawks, another single season record.

"I didn't even know that," Rowe said. "I think this group of seniors have broke that record every year. That is a testament to these guys. They bring it every day and work so hard."

For the Presidents, the seniors will never forget what they accomplished and the experienced they received in their final year.

"It was an awesome experience," Kyle Smith said. "Once we found out we were hosting the regional, it gave us an extra incentive to make it here. It was great experience."

"It has been an outstanding experience," Mountain said. "It has been a first class experience. Our guys have done a phenomenal job running it. All the coaches participating have been pleasantly surprised with how well it has gone. The fans have had a good experience and most importantly the athletics have had a good experience. I tip my cap to our seniors."

Smith finished his collegiate career 1-for-2 with a walk and a run.

For the Redhawks, they look to continue their run tomorrow after falling to the loser's bracket right away on Thursday.
"That was a heartbreaker for us on Thursday," Rowe said. "We just keep playing pitch-to-pitch baseball. The defense has stepped up and we are confident going in. We are going to hope to get the bats going."