REGIONAL WEBSITE
All recaps by Drew Karpen
GAME FIFTEEN - #4 Washington & Jefferson College 6, #2 SUNY Cortland 3
For the first time in program history, Washington & Jefferson College will be competing in the Division III College World Series. The fourth-seeded Presidents booked their ticket to Appleton, Wisconsin with a come-from-behind 6-3 win against second-seeded SUNY Cortland in the winner-take-all championship game of the 2017 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional at Ross Memorial Park.
“What can you say, I don’t think there are any opening remarks that will do justice to what just happened,” Washington & Jefferson head coach Jeff Mountain said. “I am really happy for our guys. They just scrapped and clawed and battled.
“Obviously Cortland’s tradition speaks for itself. They are going to make you beat them. They will capitalize on your mistakes. If you are going to be a champion, you need to beat them and I thought we did that. I am just so happy for our players.”
After blowing a two-run lead late in the first championship game, W&J fell behind 3-0 in game two before scoring the final six runs of the game.
“Our seniors are tremendous leaders,” junior Mark Merlino said. “[Nick] Vento came up to everyone when we were down three and said we are down three not 10. We have played through worse games and came back from bigger deficits so we knew we could do it.”
The Presidents’ (38-11) comeback started in the bottom of the fifth, scoring three runs to tie the game. Seniors Derek Helbing and Nick Vento hit back-to-back RBI singles to cut the deficit to 3-2. Senior Nick Gatins tied the game one batter later on a sacrifice fly.
W&J took the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth on a single by senior Kevin Begley which scored Ryan Sciullo.
Once the Presidents took the lead, senior Riley Groves took care of the rest. In the final three innings, Groves didn’t allow a runner to reach second base. The complete-game effort was his 10th win of the season, second of the regional and 27th of his career (second in W&J history). He allowed only one earned run in the game. Groves finished the tournament 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA, earning himself a spot on the all-tournament team.
“In all honesty, it just comes down to doing what Coach Mountain preaches,” Groves said. “You have to be able to locate two or three pitches. I was able to get ahead on guys and make them hit my pitch. This offense has taken a lot of pressure off the pitching staff this year. They have been hitting all season long. I knew they would support me and they did.”
Joining Groves on the all-tournament team for the Presidents were Adam LaRue and Mark Merlino. LaRue batted .500 (12-for-24) with three doubles, five RBI and six runs scored. Merlino batted .429 (9-for-21) with two home runs, three doubles, five RBI and seven runs scored.
The Mideast Regional Most Outstanding Player went to Vento. He led the Presidents with a .560 (14-for-25) average. He had four doubles, a home run, 11 RBI and seven runs scored.
“It means a lot, but it is a team sport,” Vento said. “I couldn’t have done it without my boys behind me. Riley [Groves] pitched a great game. I am just at a loss for words.”
Cortland finished its season 38-9, failing to make the College World Series field for the first time since 2013. After losing their first game of the tournament, the Red Dragons won five straight elimination games to force the if-necessary championship game.
“It is because we are Cortland,” head coach Joe Brown said. “There is no other option. These guys compete. These guys define resiliency. Right now they might not see the value in this, but they accomplished incredible things.”
Jake Casey, Steven Figueroa and Tyler Phillips were named to the all-tournament team for the Red Dragons.
Coach Mountain is excited for his team to experience what he did at Allegheny College when he competed in the Division College World Series.
“The planets aligned here and I am just really happy for what these guys are about to experience,” Mountain said. “I was in their shoes, about 16 years ago, as a participant. We will enjoy this and celebrate it, but we have a chance.”
GAME FOURTEEN - #2 SUNY Cortland 7, #4 Washington & Jefferson 6
The second-seeded SUNY Cortland Red Dragons scored three unearned runs in the top of the eighth to complete the 7-6 come-from-behind win against fourth-seeded Washington & Jefferson, forcing a winner-take-all Game 15 in the 2017 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional at Ross Memorial Park.
The Presidents (37-11) took a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the seventh on a two-out, two-run home run by junior Mark Merlino. It was his sixth home run of the season.
Reliever Will Bowser retired the first two batters he faced in the eighth before allowing a single and hit-by-pitch to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. Paul Dondero reached second base on an error, allowing both runners on base to come home to tie the game. After a wild pitch advanced Dondero to third, he scored the go-ahead run on the second error of the inning.
W&J jumped out to a fast start, scoring three runs in the second inning off of Cortland starter Patrick Merryweather. The Presidents loaded the bases on two hit-by-pitches and a walk, setting up sophomore Dante Dalesandro’s two-out, two-RBI single for the 2-0 lead. W&J scored its third run of the inning on a suicide squeeze by senior Adam LaRue, scoring classmate Kevin Begley.
Cortland (38-8) answered back in the third on Dondero’s solo home run, his second of the season. The Red Dragons tied the game up at 3-3 in the fifth inning on back-to-back two-out doubles by Steven Figueroa and Tyler Phillips.
The Presidents responded, however, scoring an unearned run of their own in bottom half of the inning. Senior Derek Helbing singled to center, advanced to third on a passed ball and wild pitch, and came around to score on a two-out error by the Red Dragons.
Cortland tied the game at 4-4 in the sixth on a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded by Colin BeVard, leading up to the late game heroics by both teams.
Jesse Winters got the win for Cortland in relief, going 1.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on two hits. The Red Dragons had two players with multi-hit games. Matthew Personius went 2-for-5 and Marcos Perivolaris was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Nick Vento and Begley led the Presidents, finishing 2-for-5 and 2-for-3, respectively.
For the second game of the tournament, W&J scored all their runs in the game with two outs while the win for Cortland was its fifth in a row after dropping its regional opener.
GAME THIRTEEN - #2 SUNY Cortland 22, #6 Keystone College 4
SUNY Cortland completed its improbable run to the 2017 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional championship round, climbing its way out of the loser’s bracket with four wins in three days. The second-seeded Red Dragons solidified their spot with a 22-4 win against sixth-seeded Keystone at Ross Memorial Park on Sunday.
The Red Dragons will face Washington & Jefferson on Monday, May 22, at 12 p.m. and will need to win twice in order to claim the conference title.
“Throughout the season, there is one goal you want for your team, and that is to become a team,” Cortland head coach Joe Brown said, “We’ve done it. When you get in an eight-team tournament and you lose your first game, it is a battle. I felt coming into this regional, it was one of the best in the country. We wouldn’t expect anything less, that doesn’t mean we knew it was going to happen.”
The Red Dragons scored all their runs from the second through the sixth inning, with half of them coming in an 11-run sixth. Cortland recorded eight hits in the frame, but none were bigger than Tyler Phillips’ three-run home run. It was Phillips’ second home run of the game after hitting a grand slam in the third inning.
The multi-home run game has doubled Phillips’ total on the season. He finished the game 3-for-5 with three runs scored and eight RBI. In two games on Sunday, Phillips drove in 11 runs.
“I was seeing the ball pretty well,” Phillips said. “I was looking for good pitches to hit and I was able to put some good swings on the ball.”
Patrick Schetter, Marcos Perivolaris and Nate Budge also had multi-hit games for Cortland. Schetter was a perfect 4-for-4 with a home run, two doubles and three runs scored. His home run in the second inning started the scoring for the Red Dragons while Perivolaris went 2-for-4 with three RBI and Budge was 2-for-5 with four RBI.
Cortland’s Steven Figueroa had a two-RBI base hit in the fifth inning, giving him 11 total runs batted in for the tournament.
Keystone couldn’t take advantage of its opportunities against Cortland starter Mike Harrington. The Giants loaded the bases in the first and fourth innings, but came away with nothing. In the game, Keystone left 14 runners on base.
“It wasn’t pretty,” Keystone head coach Jamie Shevchik said. “We have done some things this year that exceeded our expectations. For us to get back to where we were this year, was an accomplishment in itself. This was a really tough regional, maybe the toughest. There were a lot of good teams.”
Austin Chaszar led Keystone’s offense, going 3-for-4 with a home run, double, two runs scored and two RBI. His two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning brought the Giants to within 4-2.
After building a sizeable lead, Cortland reliever Michael DeCarlo was able to shut down Keystone’s offense. He picked up his second win of the season, allowing two runs in 4.2 innings and striking out five.
“That was a long day,” Brown said. “It was a big day of baseball for us, and it is because of these two men [Alex Weingarter and Tyler Phillips], sitting to my left and right. We played great baseball. We are playing our best baseball of the season right now and we are excited to still be playing. We will be playing a very good Washington & Jefferson baseball team tomorrow and we will be ready for the challenge.”
GAME TWELVE - #2 SUNY Cortland 9, #7 DePauw University 0
It was a much different result for second-seeded SUNY Cortland in its second game of the 2017 Division III Mideast Regional against seventh-seeded DePauw University, as the Red Dragons eliminated the Tigers, 9-0, at Ross Memorial Park.
Cortland (36-8) has stayed alive with three straight wins in the loser’s bracket after losing to DePauw 8-5 in the first round.
They will face sixth-seeded Keystone College for a spot in the regional championship against fourth-seeded Washington & Jefferson College.
DePauw (33-13) advanced further than any other team in school history in this year’s regional tournament. This marks the third time in program history the Tigers have won two games in NCAA regionals in one year, and the first since 2014, when this year’s senior class were freshmen.
“I am very fortunate and lucky to be the baseball coach at DePauw,” Blake Allen said. “I had a chance to coach 12 awesome seniors. We fought, we fought, we fought. We had a great year. We will get back here. This program has a strong tradition. I just want to say thanks to everyone for their support.”
Cortland senior and Co-Pitcher of the Year in the State University of New York Athletic Conference Alex Weingarten stymied the Tigers’ bats, pitching a complete-game shutout for his seventh win of the season. He allowed just five hits one day after the Tigers erupted for 20 against The College of Wooster. He also struck out six batters.
“He worked his fastball really well,” DePauw senior Jack Thompson said. “His changeup was his best pitch. He is just a good pitcher.”
Thompson finished his career going 1-for-4 and extending his hitting streak to 27 games. That is the longest in school history.
The Tigers had their opportunities early on, leaving multiple runners on base in the second and third inning. In the third, DePauw had runners on second and third after a hit-by-pitch and single, respectively, with their top two hitters coming to bat.
Weingarten took care of them, striking out Mike Hammel and Thompson to end the threat.
With the momentum on their side, the Red Dragons’ bats finally came alive, scoring four runs in the fourth inning to go ahead 5-0. The inning started with two outs on two pitches, but DePauw starter Nick Horvath -- who is typically the closer -- was unable to seal the deal. He allowed two hits and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases for Colin BeVard, the SUNYAC Rookie of the Year.
BeVard worked the bases loaded walk, followed by a two-run double by senior Steven Figueroa to push the lead to 4-0. BeVard came around to score on an error to conclude the scoring in the inning.
“We weren’t going to leave this tournament without having Nick Horvath take the mound,” Allen said. “He is one of our top arms. He is a senior. We made the decision to put Nick out there. He gave us an incredible start. I am really proud of him. We knew he would probably get to that fourth and fatigue, but he did a great job.”
As the lead grew, so did Weingarten’s confidence. With a bigger lead, Weingartner went on cruise control. At one point, Weingarten retired 15 batters in a row.
Offensively, Cortland had four players with multi-hit games, led by Patrick Schetter’s 4-for-5 performance. Tyler Phillips led the team with three RBI.
DePauw’s Thompson and Hammel will end their careers tied for the single-season home run record with 13.
“I couldn’t ask for better teammates and brothers,” Hammel said. “I wasn’t here my freshman year. I transferred in and they just took me in. It is a phenomenal group. I love being on the field with them.
“It was fun playing with [Jack Thompson] and battling him every game for that home run record.”
GAME 11 - #4 Washington & Jefferson College 8, #6 Keystone College 4
For the first time in program history, Washington & Jefferson will be competing for a regional championship, and will have the opportunity to do so on its home field.
The fourth-seeded Presidents earned their spot in the championship of the 2017 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional with an 8-4 win against sixth-seeded Keystone at Ross Memorial Park on Saturday night.
The win pushed the Presidents to 37-10 overall on the season, which breaks the single-season record for wins, and propels W&J into the regional championship round scheduled for Sunday, May 21, at 4:00 p.m.
“Another big one for the Presidents,” head coach Jeff Mountain said. “This is a hungry team. The mindset was set by the upperclassmen. We didn’t get out to the start we wanted to last year and that was disappointing. These older guys learned from that and we are happy to be in this position, but it doesn’t surprise us. We preached to play hard every game. We just want to go at it and be loose.”
The Presidents never trailed in the game, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. After the first two runners reached by a hit-by-pitch and walk, respectively, senior Nick Vento delivered an RBI single to open the scoring. W&J scored its second run on a sacrifice fly and Vento came around to score after Ryan Sciullo stayed in a rundown long enough on a first and third steal play.
“We scored early here a couple times in the tournament,” Mountain said. “That has been a big thing. They had momentum from their win early but we took that away early because they had to stay out in the field. We saw a lot of pitches and worked a lot of deep counts. It was big to get off to a good start.”
Vento collected his second straight four-hit game, going 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Vento’s career hit total is now up to 245, six shy of tying the program record.
W&J starter Bryce Schnatterly was dealing through the first five innings. The Giants didn’t get their first hit off Schnatterly until the fourth inning and first run until the fifth inning on a solo home run by Bray Curreri, his first of the season.
After the home run, the Giants (33-14) put runners on first and second, but Schnatterly was able to wiggle out of the jam with a pickoff move to first base.
“I was upset with that pitch,” Schnatterly said. “It was an 0-2 count and I left a pitch up. I just took some time to settle down after that. Mark [Merlino] made a great call to catch the runner sleeping to make it easier on me to get that last out.”
The Presidents and Giants continued to trade blows through the middle innings. Keystone got its second home run of the evening off of Schnatterly, this time it was Austin Chaszar’s first of the season to bring the Giants to within 4-3.
W&J laid the knockout punch in the seventh inning. With two outs and the bases loaded, senior Frank Fortunato delivered an opposite field three-run double to open up a 7-3 lead. Fortunato finished the game 2-for-4.
“I have been struggling a little bit and tried to change things up,” Fortunato said. “I went up there just trying to hit the ball hard somewhere. I just went with it to right center.”
Will Bowser closed the door for the Presidents, striking out seven batters in his 2.2 innings of relief. The save was his first of the season as Schnatterly got the win, improving to 8-0 on the season.
“[Will] has come a long way,” Mountain said. “Stuff was never an issue with him. He has a good fastball and a really good hard breaking ball. The key for him is strike one. If he is around the strike zone, he will get some swings. He gave us a good effort.”
Keystone will have a chance at a rematch with W&J, as they will play the winner of second-seeded SUNY Cortland and seventh-seeded DePauw at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday.
GAME 10 - #7 DePauw University 13, #1 The College of Wooster 4
After being outscored by Wooster 43-9 in two games last weekend in the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament, DePauw flipped the script against its conference foe in the 2017 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional at Ross Memorial Park on Saturday as the seventh-seeded Tigers (33-12) eliminated the top-seeded Fighting Scots (36-10), 13-4.
The Tigers advance to play second-seeded SUNY Cortland on Sunday in an elimination game at 9:30 a.m.
“That’s baseball,” DePauw head coach Blake Allen said. “The good thing is you get another chance. We got another chance to play Wooster. What we did today was special. We had really good defense and timely hitting.”
In his first start of the season, sophomore Grant Rademacher picked up the win, going 5.2 innings, striking out seven and allowing just one earned run. In last week’s NCAC championship game against Wooster, Rademacher allowed five earned runs in 1.1 innings of relief.
“My approach the whole time was to paint the corners,” Rademacher said. “They have such a dangerous lineup so you have to keep them off balanced. I commanded my fastball and kept it low.”
After stranding four runners in the first two innings, the Tigers broke through in the third on Mike Hammel’s solo home run. It was his 13th of the season, tying teammate Jack Thompson for the school’s single season record.
“If we get the first punch, it is huge for this team,” Hammel said. “It gave us energy and a push for us to keep moving forward.”
The Fighting Scots continued to battle back throughout the game. Down 3-1, sophomore Michael Wielansky hit a two-out home run to cut the deficit to 3-2. The home run was his second of the tournament and his team-leading tenth of the season.
“I felt it gave us a pretty good lift at the time,” Wielansky said. “There were a lot of momentum swings in the game, and I felt that was one of them.”
That was as close as Wooster would get. DePauw’s late game offense erupted again, scoring 10 runs in the final three innings. The Tigers have combined to score 18 runs in the final three innings in three tournament games.
It was a tough day on the mound for the Fighting Scots, who went through six pitchers as they combined to allow 20 hits and walk eight batters.
“To say the least, that was a tough one,” Wooster head coach Tim Pettorini said. “I know we were ready to play and our guys gave a great effort. You have to give their young guy credit. He pitched a real solid game. Last week, every ball we hit found the hole, and today every ball they hit found the hole. That’s baseball and that’s the way it works.”
DePauw had six players record multi-hit games, led by junior Collin Einertson’s four-hit night.
For Wooster, Wielansky led the way, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored.
Senior Jamie Lackner finished his career going 1-for-4 in the game, but will go down as one of the greatest players in Wooster history. Lackner was a two-time NCAC Player of the Year and is in line to become an All-American for the third time in his career.
“He’s pretty good,” Pettorini said. “The important thing is, you get to watch these guys grow up and play. I hope I am alive and here when he gets inducted into the Hall of Fame in 10 years. I would really like to see that. That’s the goal around here; to see guys develop as far as they can. He is going to go down as one of the greatest in school history and he will be an all-american again this year.”
As outstanding as Pettorini believes Lackner has been, Lackner feels the same about his coach.
“Coach Pettorini is the best coach I have ever had,” Lackner said. “He cares about all of us and it meant a lot to play here.”
GAME NINE - #2 SUNY Cortlan 5, #8 Earlham College 0
The best pitching team in the 2017 NCAA Mideast Regional got another season-saving start, this time from sophomore Jake Casey. Making his fourth start of the season, Casey pitched a complete-game shutout, lifting second-seeded SUNY Cortland to a 5-0 win against eighth-seeded Earlham College in an elimination game at Ross Memorial Park.
“That was a great battle with a very good team,” Cortland head coach Joe Brown said. “They reshaped this tournament with their opening win against Wooster. We knew they could run a lot and that they were aggressive hitters. We happened to pick the right matchup. It was a good victory for us.”
Casey allowed two hits all game and struck out 12 batters to improve to 4-0 on the season.
“My job was to go out and execute the coaches’ plans,” Casey said. “When I step on the mound, I want to bring a lot of energy. It was good to be a part of this and I am glad I got the opportunity.”
The Red Dragons (35-9) jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in each of the first two innings to take a 4-0 lead. Cortland had seven singles in the first two innings, including run-scoring hits by Matthew Personius and Patrick Schetter.
“We were able to jump on them early and give Jake [Casey] all the runs that he needed to complete the game,” Steven Figueroa said.
Figueroa had his third multi-hit game of the tournament out of the leadoff spot, going 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Casey continued to get stronger throughout the game, retiring 15 straight batters at one point from the second through sixth inning.
“I was just telling myself to keep pitching strong,” Casey said. “Every inning, I felt I was getting stronger. Controlling the pace of the game was huge for me.”
Still with a 4-0 lead, Casey found himself in trouble in the top of the seventh. The Quakers (30-14) put runners on second and third with no outs with the meat of their order up. After a strikeout of Eric Elkus, Addison Robertson looked to have a two-run double down the third base line, but Figueroa came out of nowhere for the full-extension diving catch to preserve the shutout. Casey proceeded to get out of the inning with a groundout in the next at-bat.
“It was awesome,” Casey said about Figueroa’s catch. “Off the bat, I thought it was foul. When I saw him make that great play, it gave us a lot of energy. That was a huge play in the game and I knew that was going to lift us.”
Casey closed out the game, striking out two in the ninth inning.
The Red Dragons advance to play the winner of top-seeded Wooster and seventh-seeded DePauw on Sunday.
For Earlham, they were able to advance and earn its first NCAA postseason win in program history this season.
“First off, I would like to thank two of our seniors here, Eric Elkus and Nate Lynch, and all the other seniors for their hard work this year,” Earlham head coach Steve Sakosits said. “Before they got here, Earlham baseball wasn’t something that anyone wanted to be a part of. These guys bought in and they helped us get to a point this program hasn’t been, and set the bar high for where this program can go. I am proud of these seven seniors.”
Elkus exits his career as the all-time leader in career home runs at Earlham after hitting two in the regional.
“Being a part of this team means the world to me,” Elkus said. “It is something I will cherish for the rest of my life. It feels great to leave and give Coach Sak[osits] and the coaching staff their first conference championship ring. We couldn’t thank them enough for all the opportunities they have given us.”
After transferring to Earlham from Division I Wright State University, Lynch became a part of the Quakers senior class that will go down in history as one of the best in school history.
“I can’t thank God enough for allowing me to be part of this team,” Lynch said. “Coach preached to trust the process. He knew we were going to do great things. We didn’t even make the conference tournament my freshman year. Then we got knocked out in two games the following year. Every year we just made progress. I am very proud of the guys.”
GAME EIGHT - #6 Keystone College 10, #7 DePauw University 3
After a day off due to their winner’s bracket game being postponed on Friday, sixth-seeded Keystone looked well-rested in its 10-3 win against seventh-seeded DePauw in the 2017 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional at Ross Memorial Park.
The Giants (33-13) erupted for seven runs on eight hits in the first inning, giving Colonial State Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year Troy Terzi plenty of breathing room.
“I think the first inning probably helped us out today,” Keystone head coach Jamie Shevchik said. “We weren’t sure how we would come out with the long layoff yesterday. I wasn’t sure how they would respond.”
Keystone’s first four batters tallied hits, including an RBI double by senior Brendan Long and an RBI single by freshman Adam Kelly. After a sacrifice bunt, the Giants rattled off four more hits. Six players recorded an RBI in the inning, led by freshman Ryan Callahan who had two.
“We are a team that likes to feed off each other when someone gets a hit,” Kelly said. “The hits just kept coming. We had a great first inning and that carried us throughout the game.”
DePauw starter Mike Hammel only recorded one out before being head coach Blake Allen went to his bullpen. Hammel was tagged with seven earned runs on eight hits.
“That was uncharacteristic of Mike [Hammel],” said Allen. “He will get a chance to get the ball again which is good. Overall, hats off to Keystone. They played really well.”
The Tigers put themselves in position to cut into the deficit in the bottom of the first by loading the bases with no outs on two hits and a walk, but Terzi was able to work out of the jam by getting a fielder’s choice out at home plate, a strikeout and groundout to end the inning.
“Having a seven-run lead is so relaxing,” Terzi said. “They got their first three runners on so there was a little pressure, but I was able to get out of it. That was a huge inning for us to get out of and you feel really confident after getting out of that jam.”
Terzi continued to get stronger as the game progressed. He was one out shy of the Giants’ second complete game of the tournament, going 8.2 innings. The CSAC leader in strikeouts added 11 more to his season total in the outing.
“Usually the first few innings are strong,” Terzi said. “Then I continue to get a little stronger and really pick it up for the last three innings when my adrenaline starts to kick in. I definitely felt stronger as the game went on.”
For the second straight game, Kelly led the Giants’ offense. The freshman went 4-for-5 with two runs, two RBI, and his fourth home run of the season.
Ryan Grippo went 4-for-5 as well to lead the Tigers offense.
The Giants (33-13) advance to the winner’s bracket championship game against fourth-seeded Washington & Jefferson at 7:45 p.m. on Saturday.
The Tigers (32-12) will play top-seeded Wooster in a rematch of the North Coast Athletic Conference championship game on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
GAME SEVEN - #4 Washington & Jefferson College 15, #8 Earlham College 6
Washington & Jefferson College’s high-powered offense continued to shine at the 2017 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional, as the fourth-seeded Presidents advanced to the winner’s bracket championship game with a 15-6 win against eighth-seeded Earlham College at Ross Memorial Park on Friday.
“Another good day for the Presidents,” Washington & Jefferson head coach Jeff Mountain said. “A lot of fight out of the guys. That is how we have been from the beginning. It is always good when you get out to a good start.”
The Presidents came up with clutch hit after clutch hit, scoring all 15 runs with two outs. Through two games in the tournament, W&J has outscored their opponents 27-13. With the win, W&J improved to 36-10, which is tied for most wins in a single season in school history.
“All 15 of our runs were scored with two outs, which is kind of amazing,” Mountain said. “I’ve never seen that before. It is one of those nights. It happened right away with Nick Gatins’ two-out hit. That allowed us to relax. We were never playing from behind tonight. It is big when you score the runs we have been able to score the first two games. I am happy with the position we are in, but there is more work to do.”
Seven of the runs batted in with two outs for the Presidents came off the bat of senior Nick Vento, including an opposite field grand slam in the second inning to push the Presidents ahead 6-2 at the time. Vento had a game to remember, going 4-for-6 with seven RBI and two runs scored.
Preceding his grand slam, Vento hit a double and scored one of the Presidents two runs in the top of the first. He also hit a two-RBI single in the sixth inning. All seven of his runs batted in came with the bases loaded.
Vento’s 160 career RBI total now ranks first in program history. He entered the game tied for first with 153.
“From the beginning of the game, I was just trying to slow the game down,” Vento said. “I didn’t have a great game yesterday and I was flexing at the plate. I made sure I slowed the game down and saw pitches and worked the count. Some hits I had I didn’t square up, but that’s baseball. I was seeing the ball well.”
W&J opened the scoring in the first inning on a two-RBI base hit by Gatins, who now has six runs batted in the tournament.
Earlham (30-13) tied the game up with two runs in the bottom half of the first. The Quakers got on the board with an RBI groundout by Brennan Laird. Eric Elkus tied the game the very next batter on his second solo home run of the tournament. It was the 26th of his career, breaking the all-time record at Earlham.
After the aforementioned grand slam by Vento, junior Mark Merlino (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) hit his seventh home run of the season, pushing W&J’s lead to 7-2. Merlino finished the game 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Earlham got within one at 7-6 after a three run fifth inning as Nate Lynch provided the big blow with a two-run home run, making it 7-5. The home run was the second of the year for Lynch.
After an unearned run scored on a throwing error to make it 7-6, Mountain elected to go to his bullpen and bring in freshman Ben Marsico. Marsico gave the Presidents just what they needed, shutting down Earlham through the next four innings, allowing two hits.
In his first regional appearance, Marsico picked up his first career win (1-1).
“It was a huge contribution,” Mountain said. “I thought he was the first guy on the mound that slowed the game down. He let it come to him. He threw multiple pitches for strikes. He is a freshman, but age doesn't matter at this point. Everyone has a full season under their belt. He has the makeup and demeanor for it. He comes from a very good high school program that prepared him.”
Alongside Vento and Merlino, Adam LaRue had a standout performance, collecting four hits for the second straight game. Derek Helbing finished the game with four walks to give him 31 on the season, breaking Pasquine’s mark of 30 in 2009 for the most in school history.
The Presidents will play the winner of Keystone College and DePauw University on Saturday at 7:45 p.m.
Earlham will play an elimination game against SUNY Cortland at 1:15 p.m. on Saturday.
GAME SIX - #2 SUNY Cortland 10, #3 La Roche College 2
Led by two three-run home runs by senior Steven Figueroa, second-seeded SUNY Cortland defeated third-seeded and defending Mideast Region champion La Roche, 10-2, and advanced to play another day in the 2017 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional at Ross Memorial Park.
The Red Dragons (34-8) were coming off an emotional 8-5 loss in the first round to DePauw University that ended in the early morning hours on Friday. The quick turnaround didn’t phase the experienced Cortland squad.
“That was a much better effort from our team today,” Cortland head coach Joe Brown said. “I think part of that is that we haven’t played in about three and a half weeks. We came out and competed and did what we were supposed to do.”
In the win, Figueroa finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored and six RBI.
“I was just thinking, hit the ball hard,” Figueroa said. “That is all I wanted to do. As the leadoff hitter, I just want to get on base. I was fortunate enough to get into a couple.”
Figueroa’s first four-bagger came in the second inning off La Roche starter Nick Tunstall. It was the first of the season for Figueroa, giving the Red Dragons a 3-0 lead.
The Redhawks (34-10) struck back in the bottom of the third on a solo home run by senior Luis Navedo. The long ball was his fifth of the season, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
Cortland answered back in the fourth, and again, it was Figueroa as hit his second three-run home run in as many at-bats off of Tunstall, increasing the Red Dragons’ lead to 6-1.
Figueroa’s offensive outburst was plenty for Cortland starter Jeff Cooke, who was pitching for the first time since April 29. Cooke was the second pitcher in as many days to throw a complete game against the Redhawks.
“The first couple of innings, I was up in the zone a little bit,” Cooke said. “I was just feeling my way out. You don’t go into a game expecting to throw a complete game, especially in the regionals. Every team is good. Me being a senior, it could be the last time that I am pitching. I just wanted to give it my all.”
Cooke allowed two runs on eight hits, while striking out seven and walking three.
“Jeff [Cooke] really made the difference on the mound,” Brown said. “He hasn’t pitched in a game since April 29. To come out and give us a complete game and just compete was huge. He got better as the game went on.”
It was another tough game for the defending Mideast Regional champion. The Redhawks committed two errors, walked seven, and hit three batters in the game.
Tunstall, who was the the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Pitcher of the Year, couldn’t get through the fourth inning. He pitched 3.2 innings, allowing seven earned runs on eight hits. He walked five and struck out three.
Navedo led the La Roche offense, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
The Red Dragons will play the loser of Washington & Jefferson College and Earlham College at 1:15 p.m on Saturday, May 20.
GAME FIVE - #1 The College of Wooster 12, #5 Misericordia 0
It was a fast start for top-seeded The College of Wooster, as the Fighting Scots survived their first elimination game in the 2017 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional at Ross Memorial Park on Friday against No. 5 Misericordia University, 12-0.
“Obviously, a lot better than yesterday,” Wooster head coach Tim Pettorini said. “I still don’t think we are hitting on all cylinders.”
Wooster (36-9) scored five runs in the first three innings. highlighted by Michael Wielansky’s ninth home run of the season in the top of the first. The two-run shot to left-center field gave the Fighting Scots a 2-0 lead three batters into the game. It was Wielansky’s 75th hit of the season, making him the 13th player in school history to record 75 or more hits in a single season. Wielansky finished the game 2-for-6 with a run and two RBI.
“I think it was huge,” Pettorini said about scoring first. “We have been in elimination games before. If you don’t score early, everyone starts getting tight. Everyone was able to relaxed when Michael [Wielansky] hit that.”
Wielansky’s home run was all the run support starting pitcher Nanak Saran needed. The junior improved to 8-0 after a 97-pitch effort. He went seven innings, allowing five hits, two walks, and struck out three. He did not allow a runner to reach third base.
“Once I had the lead, I just threw it over [the plate],” Saran said. “Our defense is spectacular. I don’t change anything. I really focus on commanding the fastball in and out. After that, just dumping in offspeed to get everyone everyone off balanced. I am not going to do anything special. I know we needed to save arms. Being in the elimination bracket, you have a long way to go. I knew I needed to go deep in the game. “
The Fighting Scots provided Saran with more insurance runs with a two-spot in the second on a base hit by Jake Stuursma that brought two runs home. Stuursma had himself a game, going 2-for-4 with three runs scored, four RBI, and three stolen bases. He also delivered a two-RBI base hit in a three-run eighth inning. Stuursma, who usually bats towards the bottom of the lineup, was penciled in at No. 2, and took full advantage.
“I have the same mindset no matter where I am in the lineup,” Stuursma said. “It is nice to hit in front of [Michael] Wielansky and [Jamie] Lackner. I am able to stay aggressive in that spot.”
Misericordia (30-13) starter Drake Koch had a rough outing, as he was battling with control issues. After his 10th straight ball, Koch was lifted in the third inning. Elliot Forde came into the game, holding the Scots to one run after inheriting a bases loaded and not outs situation.
“It was a last minute thing,” Misericordia head coach Pete Egbert said about Koch’s start. “He wasn’t sure if he was going to start. That was partially my fault I guess for lack of preparation. It just wasn’t his day.”
Forde kept the Cougars in the game in the middle part of the game, pitching five innings in relief. He allowed one run on two hits, striking out seven.
“I was just trying to come in a throw strikes,” Forde said. “I was just trying to let them hit it to my defense.”
Once Forde left the game, Wooster’s bats came back to life. The Fighting Scots scored six runs in the final two innings, ultimately eliminating the Cougars.
Garrett Crum and Chandler Dippman also had multi-hit games for Wooster. Jake Fling hit a single in the eighth inning to extend his hitting streak to 13 games.
Leading the Cougars offensive was Chad Bell with two hits.
Wooster advances to play the loser of Keystone College/DePauw University at 1:15 p.m. on Saturday.
GAME FOUR - #7 DePauw University 8, #2 SUNY Cortland 5
Tate Stewart’s two-run double in the top of the ninth completed DePauw University’s comeback as the seventh-seeded Tigers erased a 5-1 deficit in the eighth inning against second-seeded SUNY Cortland for an 8-5 win in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional.
Entering his ninth inning at-bat, Stewart was 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in the game.
“Going into that at-bat, I was thinking that I didn’t want to strike out five times in a game,” Stewart said. “Walking up to the plate, I just wanted to live in the moment like [Head] Coach [Blake Allen] says. He told me to get up on the plate. I was trying to just hit a ball in the air.”
The Tigers (32-11) outscored the Red Dragons (33-8) 7-0 in the final two innings, including four runs in the eighth.
After loading the bases with no outs, Collin Einertson delivered a two-run, book-rule double to cut the deficit to 5-3. The Tigers crawled to within one on CJ Yoannou’s sacrifice fly and tied the game on a pinch hit, RBI double by Max Cohen.
“This team has been resilient all year,” DePauw head coach Blake Allen said. “That is a really good baseball team we beat. They are well-coached. We had some big hits late.
“He [Max] has been on the bench for a couple of games. It felt like he was the guy. He is a senior. He has been grinding. He is working. That was a big hit with two strikes.”
This is DePauw’s third straight first round win in the NCAA Regionals. They won their first round game in 2012 and 2014 as well, including defeating top-seeded Webster University in 2014.
The collapse of SUNY Cortland’s bullpen erased a quality outing from starter Patrick Merryweather. In six innings, Merryweather allowed one earned run on three hits and struck out 10. The Red Dragons were forced to go to their bullpen with Merryweather being over 100 pitches. He finished with 107.
DePauw starter Riley Futterknecht kept his team in the game, going 5.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits.
The Tigers bullpen of Andrew Quinn, Grant Radenmacher, and Brayden White held the Red Dragons in check for the rest of the game.White picked up the win, pitching the final 1.1 innings.
“That was the game,” Allen said about his bullpen’s performance. “Those guys [Quinn, Rademacher and White] have been doing a phenomenal job. They were able to minimize their [Cortland’s] opportunities.”
With the win, DePauw will play the nightcap again on Friday against Keystone College.
“We will get a good night's sleep and be ready for Keystone tomorrow,” Stewart said.
GAME THREE - #6 Keystone College 5, #3 La Roche College 2
In a rematch of the 2016 NCAA Division III National Semifinals, sixth-seeded Keystone College got the best of third-seeded La Roche College, 5-2, in the opening-round of the 2017 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional at Ross Memorial Park.
The Giants (32-13) defeated the Redhawks (34-9) twice in last year’s College World Series.
“Once the pairings came out, and we saw we had La Roche, we knew it would be tough,” Keystone head coach Jamie Shevchik said. “We saw them two times last year in the World Series. They returned maybe six starters and we are returning one. Statistically, they are probably the best offensive team in the region. Games are not won on paper though.”
Keystone had the perfect answer to La Roche’s offense with senior Miguel Reyes on the mound. Reyes threw a complete-game, limiting the Redhawks to one earned run on eight hits. He threw 117 pitches.
“The game plan was just to pound the strike zone and let them hit it,” Reyes said. “I trust my defense behind me. I want them to put it in play.”
La Roche -- who is the defending Mideast Regional champion -- couldn't’t trust their defense behind starting pitcher Regis Sauer. Sauer pitched seven innings, allowing three earned runs, but the Redhawks defense committed five errors in the game.
“We squandered a bunch of opportunities,” La Roche head coach Chase Rowe said. “We have been really good defensively. Today, it clearly didn’t show. You are never going to win a regional game against Keystone with five errors. They are good baseball players and have good baseball minds.
“Regis [Sauer] did a phenomenal job today. He should have been out of a lot of situations.”
The Giants never trailed in the contest after taking a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Tony Hunter II. The senior finished the game 2-for-4 with an RBI. Keystone tacked on two more in the fifth, and one in the seventh and ninth. La Roche scored a run in the fifth and eighth, but never had a serious threat.
Keystone got a lift from their freshman in the clean-up spot, Adam Kelly. In his first regional game, Kelly went 3-for-5 with a triple, double and single.
“I put a freshman in the four-hole,” Shevchik said. “I have done that a handful of times. I had a feeling about what he might be able to do today.”
For La Roche, Ian Velez led them with a 3-for-4 performance. Velez, a senior, has been in this situation before when the Redhawks lost the first round of the regional two years ago. The Redhawks advanced to the regional championship that year.
“We just need to keep our heads up and smile,” Velez said. “It is a game. We have done a good job all year long of bouncing back.”
GAME TWO - #8 Earlham College 6, #1 The College of Wooster 2
Entering Thursday’s first round game in the NCAA Mideast Regional tournament, top-seeded The College of Wooster and eighth-seeded Earlham College were as far apart as two programs can be when it comes to sustained success.
The Fighting Scots (35-9) are coming off their 17th North Coast Athletic Conference championship and ranked first in the country in runs. Earlham (30-12) was making its first postseason appearance in school history. The Quakers didn’t care.
Behind a stellar pitching performance by senior Howie Smith, the Quakers knocked off the Fighting Scots 6-2 to advance to the winner’s bracket. They will face fourth-seeded Washington & Jefferson at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Smith held Wooster to two runs on seven hits in seven innings pitched to pick up his ninth win of the season.
“I felt really good in the bullpen,” Smith said. “I have confidence against anybody. I was able to locate three pitches in the zone. They are a good offensive club. They were hunting fastballs early on, and we were able to make some adjustments.”
The win was the first in NCAA Division III postseason play in any sport for Earlham College.
“It feels great,” Earlham head coach Steve Sakosits said. “Our expectations are that we are going to win. We believe in what we have. We play aggressive and hard all the time. We put the pressure on the defense. This is a historic team. Most wins in a season and first tournament win. We still have expectations to open eyes around the nation.”
For Wooster, they will have to fight their way through the loser’s bracket to earn their first trip to the College World Series since 2009.
“That wasn’t what we expected,” Wooster head coach Tim Pettorini said. “That’s for sure. It is one of those things. [Starting pitcher] Michael [Houdek] has been a great pitcher for us for three years. He struggled last week with his command. He just couldn’t seem to throw any strikes and unfortunately he followed that up today.”
Houdek -- the NCAC Pitcher of the Year -- only lasted 2.2 innings, walking five and allowing three earned runs. In the second inning, Houdek walked three batters, including walking in the first run of the game.
“He is pitching behind hitters and I have never seen that,” Pettorini said. “I know Michael, he is a competitor. If he gets a chance to pitch again, I know he will bounce back.”
The Fighting Scots took a brief 2-1 lead in the in the bottom of the second on a two-run home run by Garrett Crum, his seventh of the season. Crum finished the game 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored.
Senior Eric Elkus answered back for the Quakers, delivering an RBI single in the third to give Earlham a 4-3 lead at the time. Elkus struck again in the fourth inning, delivering a three-run home run, padding their lead to 6-2. The home run was the 25th of his career, tying a program record. Elkus was 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBI.
“It means a lot to be able to help out the team,” Elkus said. “We were just trying to fill up some runs for Howie. Wooster is a tough team to beat so we were trying to get as many runs as possible. I was able to get a pitch and lift it.”
After a 44-minute lightning delay in the top of the ninth, Walter Talcott came out for his second inning of relief to shut the door on Wooster.
“Our guys are a relaxed group,” Sakosits said. “We have a bunch of characters. You go back out there, and you could say momentum could switch. Our guys stayed with the process. We knew our pitcher was going out for the ninth with at least a four run lead. I like our chances there.”
GAME ONE - #4 Washington & Jefferson College 12, #5 Misericordia University 7
After a sluggish start to the game, fourth-seeded Washington & Jefferson College erupted for 12 runs on 18 hits to defeat fifth-seeded Misericordia University, 12-7, in the opening game of the 2017 NCAA Division III Mideast Regional at Ross Memorial Park.
The Presidents (35-10) scored all their runs between the third and seventh inning, tagging Cougars ace Tim Burek -- who was the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom Pitcher of the Year -- for six runs on 12 hits in five innings of work.
“A lot of credit to W&J,” Misericordia head coach Pete Egbert said. “They have a really good offense. We knew that coming in. It was a combination of our pitchers not executing and their guys hitting some mistakes. We couldn’t keep them off the board, even though our offense kept trying to get back in it.”
The six senior starters led the way for the Presidents, combining for 14 of the 18 hits. Leading that charge was Adam LaRue, Nick Gatins and Kevin Begley. Out of the leadoff spot, LaRue went 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.
“I was just seeing the ball well today,” LaRue said. “I was trying to do what I can to get on base and get something start.”
Begley also had four hits, an RBI and two runs scored. Gatins went 3-for-4 with his sixth home run of the season and four RBI.
“I am really happy for Kevin (Begley),” Washington & Jefferson head coach Jeff Mountain said. “These two guys [Gatins and LaRue] and Kevin were not everyday players from day one. Kevin earned his way into the lineup this year. These guys work their tails off.”
It was a shaky start defensively for the Presidents. The Cougars (30-13) jumped on the board first with two runs in the second, aided by a pair of W&J errors.
Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom Rookie of the Year Tyler Holzapfel started the inning with a single. Holzapel advanced to third after a two-base error by first baseman Mark Merlino. Holzapfel came around to score the first run of the regional after sliding ahead of a tag on a suicide squeeze play.
“At first I thought he had me, but I got underneath the tag,” Holzapfel said. “It was big to get on the board first.”
The Cougars scored the second run of the inning on a throwing error.
The Presidents evened the score in the bottom of the third with two runs, aided by a wild pitch. The first two runners reached base via a single and walk by LaRue and Derek Helbing, respectively. After a strikeout, LaRue and Helbing advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. LaRue came around to score W&J’s first run on an RBI groundout by Frank Fortunato. With two outs, Gatins delivered a single up the middle to score Helbing for the 2-2 tie.
“Offensively, it was about as good as we could expect,” Mountain said. “Early on, it took us a time through the order to figure their starter out. I love the way we competed with our two-out hits and our situational hitting.”
The Presidents took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out RBI ground-rule double by Helbing. Begley, who doubled earlier in the inning, came around to score for the 3-2 lead.
The lead was short-lived. After recording two quick outs, the Cougars recorded three straight hits, with the big blow coming from Holzapfel. Holzapfel -- who finished 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBI -- hit a two-run double to right center to give the Cougars a 4-3 lead in the fifth.
The third lead change of the game would be the last, as the Presidents took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth. After Gatins’ home run tied the game, Ryan Sciullo got the rally started again with a single. Sciullo advanced to third on a book-rule double by Mark Merlino and came around to score on Kevin Begley’s third hit of the game to make it 5-4 Presidents. W&J tacked on another run on a fielder’s choice by Dante Dalesandro.
Misericordia continued to threat but couldn’t get that clutch hit. After chasing Presidents starter Riley Groves in the sixth inning, Santino Platt came on to strand the runners on second and third, getting a one-pitch flyout.
“That was big,” Mountain said. “Santino earned the opportunity based on how he pitched the second half of the season. I had a tough time today trying to mix and match with the bullpen.”
W&J opened the game up with five runs in the seventh to put away the Cougars.
The Cougars left 15 runners on base and will be forced to run the table if they want a chance at the title.
“Once you get in the loser’s bracket in these double elimination tournaments, it is a long road back,” Egbert said. “We feel like we have the pitching to be able to do that. The greatest thing about this game is you don’t have to wait a week to come back. We have a young club. I am anxious to see how they respond.”
After losing their first game in the regional two years ago, the Presidents know how important it is to win that first game.
“It gives us a better chance,” Mountain said. “With a eight-team, double elimination tournament, it is a lot of baseball if you lose that first game. We believe we could make it through in any circumstance, but you set yourself up for success when you win that first game.”
