SALISBURY, Md. -- Sophomore pitcher Nick Drake (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) tossed six shutout innings as the W&J baseball team defeated 11th ranked Rowan University in the winner's bracket final of the NCAA Division III Salisbury Regional on Saturday afternoon. 

The win improves the Presidents to 34-11 overall and advances the Red and Black to play in Sunday's NCAA Salisbury Regional Championship round. W&J will rematch with Rowan, who defeated host Salisbury by a 9-6 score in an elimination game Saturday evening.

The Presidents need just one win to secure a spot in next weekend's NCAA Super Regionals. The Profs will need to defeat the Presidents twice on Sunday to advance. The two teams will square off with an 11 a.m. first pitch. 

Neither team could muster much offense as Drake matched up in a pitcher's duel against Profs' senior starter Danny Serreino. Despite working a pair of runners on base in the second and third innings, W&J was unable to record a hit to scratch out a run. 

Sparked by senior shortstop by Spencer Howell (Oakwood, Ohio/Oakwood), W&J made a breakthrough in the bottom of the fifth inning. Howell led off the frame with a single into left field. The senior then swiped second before Justin Griffin (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East) drew a walk to put runners on first and second with no outs. 

With Shayne Erny (North Ridgeville, Ohio/St. Edward) at the plate, Howell used a heads up play on the bases to steal third. Later in the at-bat, Erny scored Howell with an RBI single up the middle to give W&J a 1-0 lead. A few batters later, Mullen Socha (Independence, Ohio/St. Ignatius) singled to center to score Griffin, which extended the Presidents' lead to 2-0. 

Drake pitched a scoreless sixth inning before giving way to the W&J bullpen. Rowan put a pair of runners on base with two outs in the seventh inning. However, Jansen Eichenlaub (Export, Pa./Franklin Regional) induced a groundout to end the threat.

For the second straight day, Mitchell Taufer (Washington, Pa./Bishop Canevin) registered a scoreless eighth inning of relief. Clay Martin (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) then retired the Profs in order in the ninth to preserve the victory for W&J. The save was the second in as many days and ninth on the season for Martin. 

Howell, Erny, Joey Bolick (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) and James Artale (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) all reached base twice in the game.