MCMINNVILLE, Ore. - The Coe College baseball team outhit 10th-ranked Trinity (Texas) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but the Kohawks were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position as they dropped the NCAA opener 2-0 to the Tigers.
With one out in the bottom of the third, Dominick Robusto singled up the middle for the Tigers, giving them their first hit off Kohawk aceWade Morris (Conrad, Iowa/BCLUW). With two outs, Nick Pappas singled through the left side, putting runners on first and second. A single down the left field line by Kevin Clements brought in Robusto for the first run. A double down the left field line by Christian Muscarello brought in Pappas for the only other run of the game.
Coe looked to even the score in their next at-bat, as senior Tyler Leadley (Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge) singled to center field before junior Nick Stein (Scottsdale, Ariz./Horizon) singled to right center. A sacrifice bunt by senior Adam Nisenson(Crystal Lake, Ill./Central) put both runners in scoring position with just one out. A ground ball and a strikeout ended the Kohawk threat.
In the seventh inning, the Kohawks put together another rally, but fell short of scoring. Nisenson singled up the middle to start the inning. With one out, freshmanMichael Goerdt (Waterloo, Iowa/Columbus) singled and moved to second on an error by the left fielder, which allowed Nisenson to reach third. A strikeout and pop fly ended Coe's scoring chances in the seventh.
For the third time in the game, Coe left two runners on base in the eighth inning. Junior JD Hunter (Iowa City, Iowa/Regina) was hit by a pitch to lead-off the inning. Senior Scott DeAngelis (Clinton, Iowa/Clinton) reached on a fielder's choice, while Hunter was out at second. Leadley then walked, moving DeAngelis to second. A fly ball to right field by Stein moved DeAngelis to third before Leadley stole second with two outs. A line drive to the left fielder ended the top of the eighth.
Senior Sean Raisch (Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale) doubled to center field to start the inning. The next three Coe batters, each one becoming the tying run, struck out to end the game. Raisch had also doubled in the second inning, but a pair of strikeouts followed his one-out double.
Morris took the loss for the Kohawks, throwing a complete game. He gave up two earned runs, while striking out four batters and walking one. He gave up five hits. Ben Klimesh, the top hurler for the Tigers, struck out 12 Kohawks in the complete game shutout.
DeAngelis recorded four at-bats in the game, as he tallied his 182 of the season. He broke Chad Kramer's 2006 record of 182 for a single season. With Morris' complete game, he moved into fourth on Coe's single-season innings pitched list with 81 innings on the hill.
Coe will return to action on Thursday against St. John's (Minn.). The Kohawks and Johnnies will meet for just the second time in school history, as the Johnnies won the previous meeting in 1997. A link for live stats and a live audio feed (Provided by St. John's) can be found on the front page of CoeAthletics.com. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. Central Time.