| Howard Payne's Matthew Park
was the benefit of a single run in the ninth as he finished off
Concordia (Texas) in a complete game shutout. Howard Payne athletics photo |
As part of a light Friday schedule on the D3Baseball.com top 25, No. 3-ranked Webster continued to prove itself on the national landscape winning its 14th straight with a weekend series opening 3-1 win over Greenville College of Illinois. Junior southpaw Chris Jansen threw a gem for the Gorlocks, striking out nine over seven innings of work.
Cal Lutheran, sitting at No. 10 on this week’s poll, dropped its second straight, falling 4-2 to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival Whittier. The Poets claimed their third straight victory. Recap
No. 6-ranked Kean resumed a grueling slate of five games in five days, bouncing back from a 6-3 loss to Rutgers-Newark the evening before to defeat the Scarlet Raiders 6-3. Junior Andy Lopez added his name to the Cougar record books, belting a pair of home runs to become the first Kean player to do so since 2012. Recap
Trinity University of Texas, who climbed into the top 10 this week at No. 9, began an important three-game Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference set with Texas Lutheran in San Antonio. Trinity took the first game 4-0 behind the relief pitching of Trent Rape. Rape came in the third inning and pitched the final seven innings, allowing two hits. The Lone Star State’s top 25 club’s weekend schedule included the beginning of a series between No. 22-ranked Concordia (Texas) and Howard Payne in the American Southwest Conference. Howard Payne's Matthew Parks matched Concordia's Scott Weinschenk with zeros until a single run in the top of the ninth handed the 1-0 wi to Howard Payne.
No. 13-ranked Rowan staved off a late rally attempt from Rutgers-Camden, turning a key double play in the bottom of the eighth to gain a 3-2 win. Rowan’s victory sent the tightly-packed New Jersey Athletic Conference standings into a three-way tie for first. Recap
| North Central's Matthew
Treadwell threw 9.2 innings against Crown, in a 10-6 loss in 10
innings on Friday. D3photography.com photo by Ryan Coleman |
No. 14-ranked St. Thomas remained unbeaten in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action, holding off a late rally by Macalester to win a game that was halted from April 2 4-3. The Tommies’ beat in the conference continues, as they have won 56 of their last 58.
Junior left-hander Kyle Slinger kept No. 18-ranked Tufts University’s roll going, surrendering just two hits in a 5-0 victory over New England Small College Athletic Conference rival Trinity College of Connecticut. It was the Jumbos’ 10th straight victory. Recap
No. 23-ranked Wheaton College of Massachusetts opened its weekend New England Men’s and Women’s Athletic Conference weekend clash with Emerson with strong results. The Lyons posted an 11-6 win behind 11 hits to reach the 20-victory mark.
In the Colonial States Athletic Conference, Neumann rose up to third with the top two battle between Gwynedd-Mercy and Keystone looming this weekend. The Knights swept Centenary College of New Jersey as junior outfielder Matt Sheneman hit for the cycle in game one. Recap
The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference saw three of its top four pick up wins Friday. Manchester, who has taken off on a nine-game win streak, posted its second successive double-figure scoring game, rattling Franklin 12-4 - Recap to take a game and a half lead. Anderson and Translyvania remained close behind, as the Ravens and Pioneers each won on the road. AU scored all 10 of its runs in the final four innings en route to a 10-5 win at Defiance, while Transylvania and Bluffton traded haymakers in Transy’s 17-11 win. The Pioneers and Beavers combined for 11 extra base hits.
Continuing the swing around the conference ballyards … The Iowa Conference race remained close-knit. League-leading Wartburg took two from Dubuque, while Loras stayed just a game behind the Knights with a sweep of Coe … The Middle Atlantic Conference’s two leagues stayed very tight, as Alvernia and Widener each were victorious in the Commonwealth to stay in a first place tie, while FDU-Florham and Misercordia won in the Freedom … The NESCAC’s two divisions, even with Tufts’ win over Trinity, remained close, too. Colby topped Bowdoin 8-2 to stay percentage-point behind the Jumbos, and Wesleyan kept themselves clear of Amherst on the opposite side by defeating Williams … SUNYIT kept itself on pace with co-North Eastern Athletic Conference unbeaten Penn St.-Berks by sweeping Keuka … Covenant leap-frogged a heavy logjam at the head of the class in the USA South. Their win over Methodist coupled with a Ferrum loss to Huntingdon moved them into first place.