CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The seventh-ranked Salisbury University baseball team saw its quest to repeat as national champions finish two wins short, falling to the top-ranked Eastern Connecticut State Warriors, 11-6 and 3-2, in the 2022 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship Series on Tuesday afternoon at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

GAME 1 BOX SCORE
GAME 2 BOX SCORE
PRESS CONFERENCE

HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 1

• The Warriors jumped on the board early, putting SU in its fourth consecutive 1-0 hole after the first inning. Ryan Bagdasarian reached on a one-out error at third, then two batters later John Mesagno ripped an RBI double into left center to make it 1-0.
• In the top of the second, Jack Rich led off with a double, then Josh Tower singled to put men on the corners with no out. After a flyout and a failed squeeze bunt, Zach Donahue and Bagdasarian punched back-to-back base hits, bringing home a run each to push the ECSU lead to 3-0.
• After missed opportunities in the first and second, the Sea Gulls got on the board in the third. Patrick Campbell singled with one out, then two batters later Stephen Rice singled, and Sky Rahill rolled a base hit through the right side to score Campbell and make it 3-1.
• The Warriors got that run back in the fourth on a single, walk, passed ball and RBI single by Donahue to push it back to 4-1.
• ECSU forged further ahead in the top of the fifth. With two on and one out, Tower dropped an RBI single into right center. After a base hit by Noah Plantamuro to load the bases, Jason Claiborn worked a walk to force in a run and make it 6-1.
• Salisbury answered with a trio of runs in the bottom of the fifth. Cameron Hyder and Campbell strung together back-to-back singles to lead off, then Kavi Caster belted a double into the left center gap to bring both runners home. Rice was hit by a pitch, then after a sac bunt by Rahill, Jacob Ference lifted a sac fly into right, scoring Caster to get SU back within 6-4.
• Matt Malcom led off the top of the seventh with a single, then Rich and Tower pounded back-to-back doubles, the latter of which scored two runs. After another sac bunt, Claiborn scored Tower on a base hit, rebuilding the Warrior lead to 9-4.
• Rahill got a run back in the home seventh on a sac fly, but Tower struck again in the top of the eighth with a two-out two-run single to push it back to 11-5.
• Salisbury got its last run of the game in the bottom of the eighth on a sac fly from Caster, giving the game its final 11-6 margin.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Kavi Caster finished 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and three RBIs to lead the Sea Gull attack.
• Cameron Hyder finished a home run shy of the cycle, going 3-for-5 with a single, double, triple and run.
• Sky Rahill went 1-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, while Patrick Campbell finished 2-for-4 and scored twice.
• Jimmy Adkins (7-2) took his first loss since March 20 after giving up six runs (five earned) on 11 hits over 4.1 innings, walking two and striking out two on 89 pitches.

EASTERN CONN. STATE GAME NOTES

• Josh Tower put together a monster game at the plate from the seven-hole for the Warriors, going 5-for-5 with a double, three runs and five RBIs.
• Jack Rich was just as potent one slot ahead of Tower in the batting order, finishing 3-for-5 with two doubles and three runs.
• Jason Claiborn went 1-for-2 with two RBIs and three walks.
• Zach Donahue finished 2-for-5 with a pair of rib-eyes.
• Bryan Albee (12-0) finished off a perfect season on the hill with six solid innings, giving up four runs on 10 hits with no walks and five strikeouts over 107 pitches.

HOW IT HAPPENED – GAME 2

• After escaping the first inning in a 0-0 deadlock for the first time since arriving in Cedar Rapids, the Sea Gulls took the game's first lead in the top of the second. Ben Anderson drew a four-pitch walk with one out, then Scott Cameron singled him over to third. Zach Geesaman came up next and lined a base hit into right, scoring Anderson to put SU on top 1-0.
• Salisbury had a chance to break the game open in the third, stringing together a two-out rally on a Kavi Caster infield single and two walks, but Anderson flew out to right to end the threat emptyhanded.
• After Benji Thalheimer kept ECSU at bay for four scoreless innings, the Warriors finally solved Thalheimer in the fifth. Jack Rich and Josh Tower hit back-to-back weak-contact singles to set the table with no out, then after a failed sac bunt attempt Jason Claiborn singled to load the bases with one out. Zach Donahue tied the game on an RBI groundout to second, then Ryan Bagdasarian punched a go-ahead two-run single into left center, giving the Warriors a 3-1 advantage.
• The Sea Gulls put together a rally in the top of the seventh. Luke Weddell doubled with one out to chase starter Billy Oldham from the game, then Hyder laid down a perfect bunt for a single, putting men on the corners. Ethan Wentzlaff came up to pinch hit and dropped a dying quail single into shallow right for a base hit, scoring Weddell to make it 3-2. Hyder tried to go first-to-third, but ECSU second baseman Noah Plantamuro unleashed a perfect throw from the outfield grass, nailing Hyder at third by inches.
• Caster came up next and hit a two-out lineout to deep center, which would have brought home Hyder without the throw from Plantamuro, but instead of a tie game the Sea Gulls exited the seventh still trailing by a run.
• The Warriors stranded five runners on base over their final two turns at bat, but Tommy Benincaso retired the final seven Sea Gulls in a row, finishing off Weddell in the ninth with a grounder to second that set off an ECSU dogpile in front of second base.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Zach Geesaman went 1-for-4 with an RBI in his first start in Cedar Rapids. He also threw out a would-be base stealer at second and made a nice catch on a bunt popup.
• Luke Weddell doubled for Salisbury's only extra-base hit of the game, finishing 1-for-4 with a run scored.
• Ethan Wentzlaff contributed off the bench with a pinch-hit RBI single.
• Benji Thalheimer (7-1) endured his first loss of the season despite a Quality Start. Thalheimer lasted six-plus innings on two days' rest, scattering three runs on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts on 97 pitches.
• Brandon Epstein and Brock Hilligoss combined for two scoreless innings out of the bullpen to keep it a one-run game late.
• The Sea Gulls placed three players on the NCAA Division III College World Series All-Tournament Team: infielder Patrick Campbell, outfielder Cameron Hyder and relief pitcher Xavier Marmol.

EASTERN CONN. STATE GAME NOTES

• Ryan Bagdasarian finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs, giving the Warriors a lead that held up with his fifth-inning two-run single.
• Jack Rich went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
• Zach Donahue finished 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
• Josh Tower went 1-for-3 with a run scored; he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series.
• Billy Oldham (12-2) battled through a high early pitch count to give ECSU 6.1 quality innings on the way to the win. Oldham scattered two runs on four hits with four walks and six strikeouts on 115 pitches.
• Tommy Benincaso nailed down his second save of the year with 2.2 scoreless frames, surrendering just two hits and retiring the final seven batters to face him.
• The Warriors finish the season with a 49-3 record and their fifth national championship in program history and first since 2002.

THE WRAP

• Salisbury closes the book on 2022 with a 39-12 record, good for the second-most wins in program history (2008, 41-4).
• The Sea Gulls made their seventh trip to the Division III College World Series and became the first team to make back-to-back appearances in the Championship Series since Marietta in 2011-12.

Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and the Metropolitan Swimming and Diving Conference for men's and women's swimming. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, and dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on-and-off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 22 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 189 conference championships and 41 Academic All-Americans.

To learn more about the tradition of excellence with Sea Gull Athletics, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or on social media @SUSeaGulls.