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| Joel Zyhowski was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and 2 RBI to help UW-La Crosse reach the Championship Series. Photo by Steve Frommell, d3photography.com |
Postgame news conferenceBecause UW-La Crosse had a game immediately following this one, they did not have a postgame news conference. |
By Jim Dixon
D3baseball.com
GRAND CHUTE, Wis. – Less than 12 hours elapsed between Game 12 and Game 13 of the NCAA D-III World Series and the Eagles of UW-La Crosse rediscovered their offensive stroke in a 10-7 win over the Tigers of Trinity (Texas) to earned a date with Cortland in the best-of-three Championship Series for the national championship.
UW-La Crosse scored five runs in the seventh to break open a close game. Taylor Kohlwey opened the inning with a walk and beat out a throw to second base with Justin Anderson taking first. Ben Morgan beat out a sacrifice bunt for a single and every runner moved up on Trinity pitcher Mark Walker's single, Kohlwey scoring. Trinity got two outs while giving up another run and was looking at getting out of the inning down 6-3. Jeff Zyhowski, Carter Hoffman, and Alex Hoffman all followed with RBI singles giving the Eagles a 9-3 lead.
Trinity opened the scoring as they strung together three two-out hits in the opening inning to score an early run. Jeremy Wolf and Drew Butler singled to put runners on first and second. Carter McEachern doubled down the left field line to score Wolf.
UW-La Crosse attempted to answer in the top of the second. Bryce Barness singled just past the outstretched glove of the Tigers' second baseman and was followed by two infield hits by Shane Adler and Travis Buxton-Verstegen to load the bases with one out. A force out at home, then second would end the threat.
The Tigers added to their run total in the second. Austin Singer's fly ball to right was out of the reach of a backpeddling Kohlwey for a triple. Singer scored on Nick Jewett's groundout. Brady Fehmel started another rally with a base hit to left. A Connor Moore safety and a walk to Wolf forced Fehmel to third where he scored the second and final run of the inning.
The Eagles broke through with two runs in the fourth inning. leading off the inning, Barsness and Adler each singled to put runners on second and third as Adler took second on a throw to the plate on his safety. Two outs later it looked like the Eagles would leave the bases loaded again but Eric Vatch delivered a two-run single to draw UW-La Crosse with in a run at 3-2.
Trinity had opportunities to extend their lead in the fourth and fifth innings but was unable to get a runner safely home, leaving two baserunners on in each frame.
UW-La Crosse scored twice in the top of the sixth to take their first lead over Trinity in the two game pool B championship set. The first three batters reached base to load the bags full of Eagles. Two groundouts each netted a run to give the Eagles their first lead.
The game was interrupted by a lengthy rain delay at the end of the seventh inning and when the game resumed, The Eagles tacked on one run and the Tigers added four as UW-La Crosse moved on to an evening game against the Cortland Red Dragons.
Ben Cejka (9-2) pitched five innings with 11 hits allowed and three runs allowed, all earned. He walked two and struck out two. Caleb Boushley pitched the final four innings, allowing four runs on six hits. Mike Walker (6-4) took the loss with eight runs, all earned, on ten hits. He walked three, struck out one. Nick Griffith and Teddy Turner finished the game for Trinity.
Barsness and Adler had three hits for the Eagles. Adler also scored three runs. Zyhowski, Vatch and Carter Hoffman had two RBI. Moore and Butler led the Tigers with three hits. Jewett drove in two.
UW-La Crosse will play Cortland in game one of the Championship Series at 8:20 p.m.