Ben Richardson got in ahead of the tag to give Hamline the 3-2 lead in the 13th inning. Photo by Larry Radloff, d3photography.com

On a day when pitching dominated hitting in the Midwest Regional, the most telling example was saved for last. Hamline defeated St. Scholastica 3-2 in 13 innings in the third game of the Whitewater Regional in the NCAA III Baseball Championship Tournament at Prucha Field at Jim Miller Stadium in Whitewater, Wis. 

Hamline junior righthander Cass Kreitlow and St. Scholastica senior right-hander Matt Lewis put their ace status on the line, and came through with flying colors. Hamline scratched out a run in the first with the benefit of just one hit, and that should have been a signal that nothing would come easy. Kreitlow kept tossing goose eggs up on the scoreboard until the Saints used the same small-ball philosophy, with a walk, a sacrifice and a two-out single extending the game. 

Hamline used a two-base error and a single to put men on first and third with one out in the 12th.  The next Piper batter hit a ground ball that the Saints tried to turn into a double play, but as the runner beat the throw to first another Piper scored to make it 2-1 Hamline. The Saints came right back in their half of the 12th, making the most of two singles to build the tying run. 

In the top of the 13th, catcher Ben Richardson, who went 4-for-5, singled with two out for Hamline. He moved to second on a pitch in the dirt, and Dan Ellefson singled in what proved to be the winning run. 

Kreitlow, 9-1, went 12 innings for Hamline, giving up six hits with two walks and five strikeouts.  Lewis matched him with 12 innings, giving up nine hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Jake Nystrom, 1-1, pitched the 13th to take the loss for the Saints. 

St. Scholastica (35-6) will play UW-Stevens Point (33-8) at 1:00 CDT on Thursday. Hamline (29-13) will face host UW-Whitewater (33-11) at 4:00 Thursday.