By Jim Dixon
D3sports.com

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Cameron Hyder singled over an outstretched hand of the second baseman to score Luke Wendell to break a 5-5 tie. With an insurance run scored on a double steal play, Salisbury went on to defeat Marietta 7-5 in the Division III World Series on Saturday, June 4.

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"What a game, what an evenly matched game," said Salisbury head coach Troy Brohawn. "Every pitch mattered, every base running mattered."

"I don't like losing," said Marietta head coach Brian Brewer. "But that was fun to be part of. You have to give all the credit to Salisbury. As long as they are the defending champions and remain in the tournament, they are the team to beat."

Salisbury advances to the bracket one championship game scheduled for 4:30 P.M. CT to be played against the winner of the Marietta/ UW-Stevens Point elimination game.

Relievers Brandon Epstein and Brock Hilligoss combined to shut down the Marietta offense for the final six innings of the contest.

"I cannot say enough about what Brandon and Brock did," said Brohawn. "The bullpen put up zeros allowing us to chip away."

Zach Adams slides into home with the fourth run of the inning to tie the game up at 4-4 in the top of the fourth. Photo by Steve Frommell, d3photography.com

Marietta opened the scoring in the first inning. Turner Hill doubled to left center. He looked at third but held at second base as the ball came back into the infield. Damian Yenzi's base hit put runners on the corners with no outs. Two batters later, Brett Carson lifted a fly ball to center and Hill scampered home.

Marietta added to their lead in the third. Drew Wilkinson doubled down the right field line. He moved to third when Hill laid down a perfect bunt that he beat out for a hit, his second of the game. Yenzi's drive to left field just skipped past the glove of the left fielder, bringing home Wilkinson. Two sacrifices, a bunt and fly ball scored two more to give Marietta a 4-0 lead after three innings.

Carson's second sac fly of the game was the eighth time a player had two in a game. The last player to accomplish this feat was Emory's Phillip Maldari against in 2014.

"The first time through the lineup we took some fastballs and getting in pitching counts," said Brohawn. "We were allowing him to get in his counts instead of taking that away from him. I told our guys that other teams would have folded right there. The guys just dug in, attacking him instead of him attacking us."

Salisbury got all of those runs back in the fourth. Kavi Caster walked to open the frame and moved to second on Stephen Rice's single and then third on a Sky Rahill sacrifice bunt. A wild pitch by Marietta starter Issac Danford allowed Kaster to score. Jacob Ference was hit by a pitch and later attempted the double steal. The Pioneers were not biting and Ference easily took second. Following a strikeout for the second out, Zach Adams' hit brought home Rice and Ference to bring the Sea Gulls within one run. The score was all knotted up one batter later as Luke Weddell's drive to the outfield split the right and center fielders, plating Adams. That was all for Danford as Brewer went to his All-American reliever, Sam Mathews. Mathews got a groundout to end the Salisbury threat.

"All year it has been a race to get to Sam," said Brewer. "I thought he was spectacular. He did everything he could do and I am super proud of everything he has done for the program."

Salisbury took a lead in the fifth. Patrick Campbell was given a free pass to start the inning. A pair of ground outs allowed Campbell to reach third base and Sky Rahill's single to center plated Campbell.

Hill's third hit of the game led to a 5-5 tie. Hill reached on a safety to left and moved one base on a pass ball and another on a sac bunt. Zach Boyd's sacrifice fly, the third of the game for the Pios, brought home Hill.

From sixth inning until the eleventh, scoring was stopped as the Marietta and Salisbury relievers put up zeros. Each team had their chances to break the tie but neither team could come up with the clutch hit that would have given them the lead.

"They pounded the zone," said Brohawn of his relievers. "You have to own two pitches and have a third to compliment and they did today."

Salisbury erupted in jubilation after taking the lead in the top of the 11th. Photo by Pat Coleman, D3sports.com

With their seventh straight win in the championship, Salisbury ties Montclair State with the most consecutive win in the D-III World Series. Montclair State won seven games in a row between 2000 and 2001.

Marietta falls into the losers’ bracket and will face UW-Stevens Point in a game scheduled to start at 10 a.m. CT on Sunday.