| D3photography.com photo by Ryan Coleman |
Steve Maher's confidence is back.
The St. Thomas pitcher admits he has struggled on the mound this year. Coming into Sunday's MIAC playoff championship game against Bethel, the senior who was named All-America with a 13-2 record as a sophomore, was only 3-1 in 2014 with a 5.59 ERA.
But Maher put any lingering concerns to rest against the Royals, holding them to one run and four hits over 6.2 innings en route to a 3-1 win.
Closer Tommy Danczyk did his part, and the No. 8 Tommies (33-7) picked up their 10th MIAC playoff title in the event's 15-year history and earned the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs later this week. They will find out where they will play by Monday.
Bethel (23-12) jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a single, walk, double steal and RBI ground out. But Maher stranded a runner at third with an inning-ending strikeout and never wavered, retiring the next 11 batters and scattering three hits over the next six innings.
St. Thomas scored all of its runs in the third inning. Degen and Brady Johnson led off with singles and moved to third on a Ben Podobinski ground out, and Kelvin Stroik loaded the bases on a catcher's interference call. Degen scored on a wild pitch, and Johnson and Stroik came in when the Bethel first baseman booted Tim Kuzniar's hard grounder.
Olean pulled Maher after he gave up a single with two out in the seventh. Danczyk got a strikeout to end the inning and allowed runners in the eighth and ninth but held on for his seventh save of the season. Maher improved his career record to 21-5.
St. Thomas used just pitchers in three games over the playoff weekend, and they were dominant. They four gave up only five runs (all earned) and 15 hits (including two doubles and a two-run home run) over 27 innings.
On Monday St. Thomas will learn its NCAA regional playoff pairings and destination. The Tommies, who have won 24 of their last 26 games, are in the NCAA playoffs for the 19th time in the last 20 seasons. Their preceding 18 regional trips have all been into Wisconsin.
St. Thomas came into the game without its best hitter, first baseman Tyler Peterson, who suffered a likely season-ending injury Saturday in an eighth-inning collision with catcher J.D. Dorgan as they chased a foul ball. Peterson led the MIAC in batting average (.471), home runs (8), slugging percentage (.794) and extra base hits (27) and fielded .994 at first base with only two errors.
Olean tapped Nick Degen to play in Peterson's spot, and the senior from Eau Claire came through with two singles, scored the Tommies' first run and cleanly handled 15 chances at first base. He found out he was starting -– his first start at first base for the Tommies –- an hour before the game.
"I was a little nervous at the beginning," said Degen, a utility infielder. "I knew if I took things pitch by pitch and play by play that I'd be okay."