SALISBURY, Md. -- Sophomore pitcher Nick Drake(Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) tossed six shutout innings as the W&J baseball team defeated 11th ranked Rowan University in the winner's bracket final of the NCAA Division III Salisbury Regional on Saturday afternoon. 

The win improves the Presidents to 34-11 overall and advances the Red and Black to play in Sunday's NCAA Salisbury Regional Championship round. W&J will face the winner of a Saturday afternoon elimination game between #10 Salisbury and #11 Rowan. 

Neither team could muster much offense as Drake matched up in a pitcher's duel against Profs' senior starter Danny Serreino. Despite working a pair of runners on base in the second and third innings, W&J was unable to record a hit to scratch out a run. 

Sparked by senior shortstop by Spencer Howell (Oakwood, Ohio/Oakwood), W&J made a breakthrough in the bottom of the fifth inning. Howell led off the frame with a single into left field. The senior then swiped second before Justin Griffin (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East) drew a walk to put runners on first and second with no outs. 

With Shayne Erny (North Ridgeville, Ohio/St. Edward) at the plate, Howell used a heads up play on the bases to steal third. Later in the at-bat, Erny scored Howell with an RBI single up the middle to give W&J a 1-0 lead. A few batters later, Mullen Socha (Independence, Ohio/St. Ignatius) singled to center to score Griffin, which extended the Presidents' lead to 2-0. 

Drake pitched a scoreless sixth inning before giving way to the W&J bullpen. Rowan put a pair of runners on base with two outs in the seventh inning. However, Jansen Eichenlaub (Export, Pa./Franklin Regional) induced a groundout to end the threat.

For the second straight day, Mitchell Taufer (Washington, Pa./Bishop Canevin) registered a scoreless eighth inning of relief. Clay Martin (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) then retired the Profs in order in the ninth to preserve the victory for W&J. The save was the second in as many days and ninth on the season for Martin. 

Howell, Erny, Joey Bolick (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland) and James Artale (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) all reached base twice in the game.