ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Senior centerfielder Ryan Bagdasarian (Glastonbury) hit a game-tying two-run home run with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning and senior catcher Matt Malcom (East Lyme) followed two batters later with a tournament-ending RBI double that lifted the No. 1 nationally-ranked and top-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team to a 5-4 win over third-seeded Middlebury College in the first game of the championship round of the NCAA Division IIII Rochester, NY Regional Tournament Sunday at Towers Field that sealed the Warriors' first regional championship since 2007.
Eastern's (42-3) 16th consecutive win and 30th in its last 31 outings gives the Warriors their 13th NCAA regional title since 1982 but first since it won four straight to capture the Harwich, MA Regional title in 2007. Needing only one win Sunday to claim the title as the only unbeaten team in the tournament, Eastern used a dramatic finish to avoid playing a winner-take-all game against Middlebury (31-14), a team which the Warriors had routed, 17-4, in Saturday's winners' bracket final.
The Warriors will advance to their first best-of-three Super Regional Friday and Saturday against Annville, PA Regional winner and No. 10 nationally-ranked Rowan University (33-8). The top-seeded Professors won three straight to claim that regional, outscoring their opponent 30-8, and riding junior righty Michael Miles' complete-game three-hitter to a 9-0 win over second-seeded Washington & Jefferson College in Sunday's final. Rowan had gained an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament after losing its first two games in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) tournament two weeks ago after entering play on a nine-game winning streak.
Having averaged 10.5 runs and posting an average winning margin of +7.2 this year, the Warriors had needed a walk-off win only once previously this year -- on Malcom's game-ending home run in the bottom of the 11th inning of a 7-6 win over the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy over two months ago at Fort Myers, FL.
With Eastern down to its final strike after Alec Ritch had gotten the first two outs of the ninth on ground balls, , junior shortstop Zach Donahue (South Windsor) doubled to left-center on a 2-2 pitch and Bagdasarian – without a hit on the day and just 2-for-13 in the tournament to that point– tied the game, 4-4, when he drove a 1-1 pitch over the left-center field fence for his fifth home run of the season.
Facing new pitcher George Goldstein – Middlebury's staff leader in appearances and saves -- senior All-America third baseman Luke Broadhurst (Stafford) singled to center on the first pitch thrown by Goldstein, and Malcom put the Warriors into next weekend's Super Regionals when he drove a 3-2 pitch into left-center field to plate Broadhurst with the regional-clinching run.
In two tournament games against Eastern, Goldstein threw 20 pitches without recording an out, giving up six runs on three doubles and three singles.
The Warriors had nursed a 2-1 lead into the eighth against the Panthers – thanks to two unearned runs in the fourth on two walks, an infield throwing error, a balk, and senior DH Jack Rich's (Meriden) two-out, two-run double that plated Broadhurst, who had reached on the error, and Malcom, who had drawn a 3-2 walk.
Managing only one hit after the first inning against Eastern senior lefty Aidan Dunn (Westfield, MA) and trailing 2-1 in the top of the eighth, Middlebury rallied for three runs to take a 4-2 lead, driving Dunn from the box when No. 8 hitter Lucas Flemming (bunt) and No. 9 hitter Zip Malely (single) reached to open the frame. Leadoff batter Beau Root, who had singled and tripled Saturday against Eastern and had scored the only run to that point off Dunn after opening the game with a single – then administered a shocking three-run home run on the first pitch delivered by senior right-handed ace Bryan Albee (Killingly).
With Eastern trailing by two, Malcom opened the bottom of the eighth by getting hit by a pitch, but Ritch – who was summoned to start the sixth inning with his team trailing, 2-1 – got a line drive, fly ball and ground out to leave Malcom on first.
Making his 18th appearance of the year – second only to Albee's 21 -- graduate righty Jack Wallace (Winthrop, MA) was credited with his second win – first in three weeks -- in two decisions by pitching a scoreless ninth – stranding a runner at third in the process -- that kept the deficit at two runs. An inning-opening single, stolen base and comebacker put a runner on third in that inning but Wallace got the second out on a 3-2 strikeout and a ground ball to Donahue at short ended the threat.
After racking up 19 hits off five Middlebury pitchers Saturday, Eastern was limited to seven hits by five Middlebury pitchers Sunday – five under its season average. Broadhurst and Rich each had two, with Broadhurst and Malcom each reaching three times and Broadhurst scoring twice.
Bagdasarian was named the tournament's MVP and was joined on the ten-person all-team by Malcom, Broadhurst and graduate leftfielder John Mesagno (Tappan, NY). Bagdasarian batted only .214 (3-for-14) but had two home runs, drove in a team-leading seven runs and scored four; Malcom batted .455 (5-for-11) with five RBI and four runs scored; Broadhurst batted .417 (5-for-12) with three extra-base hits, three RBI and a team-leading six runs scored. He also was second only to Donahue with nine assists (Donahue handled 17 chances in the tournament without an error); Mesagno batted .385 (5-for-13) with two home runs, five RBI and three runs scored.
Rich led the Warriors by batting .500 (6-for-12) and had three extra-base hits and matched Mesagno with a team-high 11 total bases.
In the tournament, Eastern had 17 extra-base hits, including seven home runs.
With the win, the Warriors move to within a victory of tying the program record, set in 2003 and equaled in 2004. Eastern qualified for the NCAA national tournament in both of those seasons.
Rowan is appearing in its fifth straight NCAA tournament (excluding the 2020 Covid season) this season. Last year, it won four straight games at the Marietta, OH Regional to qualify for its first national tournament in 16 years, where its lost its first two games at Cedar Rapids, IA.
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