By Jim Dixon
D3sports.com
Washington University roared out of the gates and took the heart out of any comeback try with a five-run ninth in a 16-5 victory over Adrian in the 2021 D-III College World Series in Cedar Rapids at Perfect Game Field.
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- 2021 was anything but usual
The loss eliminated the Bulldogs from the championship. Washington remains alive to play St. Thomas in a 2:15 pm scheduled start.
The Bears opened the game with three straight hits. Tim Van Kirk and Magnus Dunn both had infield singles to second and subsequently stole second. With two runners in scoring position, Caleb Durbin dropped a line drive in front of the center fielder to give WashU a 1-0 lead.
The Adrian Bulldogs tied the game up in the bottom of the inning. Thomas Miller gained first when the first baseman was pulled off the bag by a wild throw by the shortstop. Two singles by Brady Wood and Gunner Rainey moved Thomas around the bases for Adrian's initial run of he game
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| Washington University catcher Zac Styka shows the caught foul tip off of Tristin Riahrdson's bat for one of Mitchell Black's strikeout. Photo by Steve Frommell, d3photography.com | More photos from this game |
WashU kept the pressure on Adrian starter Gage Ricker and the Adrian defense to go up 5-1 in the top of the second. Zac Styka's ledoff walk was followed by three hits by Kaden Bernhard, Collin Kahal and Van Kirk with Van Kirk's drive to left center plated two. Van Kirk was erased on a fielders choice but the line kept moving with RBI base hits by Durbin and Clayton Miller. This ended the day for Ricker who left in favor of Trey Miller. Miller ended the threat but the damage was done with Washington reclaiming the lead.
Adrian's Tristin Richardson hit a one out double and scored as Adrian threatened for more than one in a situation of the Bear's own making. Sean O'Keefe struck out but reached on a wild pitch that also allowed Richardson to take third. He scored on a double play attempt in which the WashU second baseman missed the tag on the runner headed to second and threw late to the first baseman. WashU limited the damage to the single run and finished the second inning with a 5-2 lead.
The bottom of the third for Adrian look much like the second. A double by Joe Casale was followed by two pitching mistakes as Washington starter, Mitchell Black hit two batters. O'Keefe's infield hit broght the Bulldogs one run closer.
Washington put another crooked number on the board, this time in the fourth. The first eight Bears all reached safely with the only out coming at a play at the plate. Van Kirk's sacrifice fly plated the fifth run of the inning and Dunn followed with his third hit of the day for the sixth run.
Adrian would not go away, something that many teams learned this season.
The Bulldogs continued to score in every inning with two in the fourth to draw within six runs with plenty of at-bats available for more. Starting at the top of the lineup, four straight hits netted the two runs for Adrian.
After the fourth inning the scoring went away with neither team getting their offense restarted. That is until the ninth where WashU added five runs to their totals. The big hit was Bo Anderson's three-run blast that ended Washington's scoring.
Mitchell Black earned the win. He pitched 6.1 innings. He allowed five runs, four earned, on 11 hits. He walked one and struckout four. Matt Bauer faced two batters, both walks, without getting an out in the seventh and Matt Lopes finished the game. he pitched 2.2 perfect innings with two strkeouts.
Gage Ricker took the loss. He allowed five runs, all earned, on eight his. He walked one and struck out one in 1.1 innings. Trey Miller, Brandon Schulze, and Austin Frederick also pitched for Adrian. Frederick was the most effective reliver. He allowed five runs, all earned, on five hits with a walk and a strikeout.
Magnus Dunn and Clayton Miller led all hitters with four hits. Anderson's four RBIs was the most in the game. Eight hitters scored twice with Kaden Bernhard scoring three.