Redshirt freshman Matthew Enck's two-out double in the bottom of the 12th inning lifted No. 19-ranked St. Thomas to an 8-7 win over No. 1-ranked Washington (Mo.) in Saturday's winners' bracket game at the Division III Baseball World Series in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The Toms (36-8), who had 17 hits, have recorded four come-from-behind wins in a row in the NCAA playoffs. Their 10-3 postseason record includes two walk-off wins and six other comeback victories.
They will play Sunday at 4:30 p.m. against a one-loss team to be determined. A win there or in a Monday rematch would punch their ticket to the two-team final.
On Saturday St. Thomas outlasted the Bears despite trailing 4-1 and 5-2 in the early going and falling behind 7-5 in the top of the 11th inning. They also survived on a warm day in a game that lasted nearly four and a half hours on the clock.
Coach Chris Olean's team moved to 2-0 in the national finals and needs one more victory to secure a spot in Tuesday's best-of-three championship final.
It was the second day in a row that Enck contributed three hits. His two-strike hit scored Josh Thorp, who reached on a two-out single and came home all the way from first.
Earlier in extra innings, the Bears (33-5) smashed a two-run homer in the top of the 11th inning for a 7-5 lead. But they were unable shut the door in the last half of the 11th.
The Toms took advantage of an error and a two-strike hit by Avery Lehman to put the tying runs at first and third to set up that clutch 11th-inning at-bat. Redshirt freshman Jake Porter was down to his last strike off Wash U. All-America closer Jared Fong when he laced a double to right-center field to scored Lehman all the way from first base to tie the game. Fong, who came in with nine saves on the season, stranded Porter on second with a strikeout but his day was finished after three innings, with both runs unearned.
Three Tommie pitchers worked around seven walks plus 14 hits by the Bears, who left 12 runners on base over 12 innings. The Toms turned three double plays on the infield and picked a runner off third on a missed squeeze play.
Senior Graham Laubscher allowed four earned runs over six innings. Redshirt freshman Jeremy Klick worked three scoreless innings to help get the game into extra innings. True freshman Jack Blesch allowed the two-run homer but took the win with just those runs allowed over three innings.
Enck had a walk-off hit in late March to beat eventual NCAA playoff team Northwestern-St. Paul. Porter had a walk-off infield single six days ago to beat Chapman.