Austin Blaski threw seven dominant innings for Marietta, with Chapman needing help to reach him for two runs. Photo by Larry Radloff, d3photography.com

By Jim Dixon
D3sports.com

GRAND CHUTE, Wis. -- Austin Blaski was dominant on the mound as Marietta defeated Chapman 9-4 in Day 2 of the Division III Baseball Championship. Blaski had eight strikeouts and overcame two errors of his own to advance Marietta to the winners bracket final, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sunday night.

"We consider ourselves fortunate to come out with a win," said Marietta coach Brian Brewer. "we cannot afford to make that many mistakes against a team like Chapman and come out ahead."

"We knew it would be a tough game," said Chapman head coach Tom Tereschuk. "It was a tight game until the end and we let it get away from us in the ninth."

Marietta started the scoring in the second. Tim Saunders hit an infield single and scored on Hopper's triple to right center. Hopper scored on Casey Levens' groundout to give the Pioneers a 2-0 lead.

Chapman made it 2-1 without the benefit of a hit. Tyler Surnbrock was hit by Blaski. Troy Newman sacrificed Surnbrock to second. On an attempted pickoff, Surnbrock moved to third and scored on a Blaski wild pitch.

The Pioneers tacked on two more runs in the fifth. Braden Park walked and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Sigman hit Alex Toth to put two men on base. Kirby Becker followed with a single to right, scoring Park. The Chapman rightfielder attempted a play at the plate and when catcher Adam Kordich threw wildly to second, he allowed Toth to score.

Chapman cut the margin to 4-2 in the seventh. Charlie Piro was hit by Blaski and moved to third on Toth's throwing error. Steve Greenberg's single to center plated Piro.

Marietta score four insurance runs in the ninth. Becker's single to center drove in Toth and Grilliot, Saunders' triple scored Becker and Ryan Hopper followed with a run scoring single to complete the scoring for Marietta. Chapman score two unearned runs in the ninth as Parr scored on a wild pitch and Piro scored on a Greenberg single.

Blaski pitched seven innings, allowing two runs, neither of which was earned. Kyle Lindquist pitched the final two innings, allowing two unearned runs for the save, the first in the championship round. Sigman was charged with the loss. He allowed seven runs, six earned, on nine hits in 8.1 innings. Justin Hanks pitched to five batters in the ninth, allowing two runs.

Hopper was 3-for-3 with two RBI to spark the Marietta offense. Saunders, Becker and Snyder also had multiple hit games for Marietta. Becker was 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs. Saunders and Snyder both had two hits in the game. Parr and Greenberg had two hits for the Panthers.

"I have been trying to to work on my approach and seeing the ball real deep," said Hopper. "It worked and I got a couple of key hits."

Chapman, with its first loss of the tournament, will play UW-Whitewater at noon on Sunday.

Rauh injury update: The injury to Brian Rauh on Friday appears to be a muscle strain and not a ligament injury.  According to the Chapman head coach, he is getting treatment and is day-to -day for the tournament. "We will be cautious with him," said Tereschuk.