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| Texas Lutheran picked up its first walk-off win of the season, beating Southwestern 6-5, to complete the sweep of the Pirates and clinch the 2023 SCAC Regular Season Championship on Sunday at Katt-Isbel Field. The win, in addition to a 5-3 loss by Trinity (Texas) to St. Thomas (Texas) in Houston, clinched the SCAC regular season title for the first time in program history for Texas Lutheran (27-13, 17-4 SCAC). The 2023 Championship marks the fourth regular season championship and sixth SCAC Championship overall. Also with the win, TLU matched its best single-season conference winning percentage since joining the SCAC, going 17-4 (.810) for the second consecutive season. Texas Lutheran athletics photo |
It was a big bounce-back effort for Hiram on Sunday, with the team erasing an early deficit and beating Westminster, 8-7. Noah Brown earned the victory thanks to three hitless innings of relief, while seven different hitters recorded a base hit. A 4-run fifth inning proved to be a key turning point, with Hiram gaining a 6-3 advantage and holding that lead for the remainder of the non-conference battle. The top-four hitters in the Hiram lineup – Chaisson Marrs, Michael Corsillo, Hal Walker Jr. and Evan Fairbanks – all made an impact. They combined for 4 hits, 7 walks and 6 runs scored.
In a top-15 nationally-ranked matchup featuring two teams that clinched a share of their respective regular-season conference titles just one day earlier, No. 13 Denison came out on top over No. 4 Baldwin Wallace by a score of 8-4 on Sunday afternoon at Fisher Field. Denison got back-to-back two-out home runs from Ari Fierer and Jake Welsch to make it an 8-1 Big Red lead in the seventh inning. Fierer then came in to pitch and got a 4-6-3 double play to end the eighth inning. In the ninth inning, however, the Yellow Jackets scored three runs on five hits before Fierer got a flyout to center field and a groundout to short to end the game. George Viebrock finished with seven innings pitched allowing six hits, one unearned run and one walk while striking out seven.
Oberlin closed out its two-game set at Wabash, rallying late to earn a 12-8 win over the Little Giants on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore Jake Blozy continued his torrid play, nearly hitting for the cycle as he finished 4-for-4 with a triple, home run, three RBIs, and three runs scored. Oberlin matched a season-high with 17 hits in the win. Jacob Thompson went 3-for-5 with two runs driven in, while Max Cairo also added three hits and three runs scored to go along with an RBI. Ethan Hurtwitz and Chris Wolfe each had two hits and an RBI as well. It was a seesaw affair throughout the front six innings with the Yeomen ultimately trailing 8-7 going into the eighth inning. After a quick 1-2-3 shutdown inning by Andrew Shen in the home half of the seventh, the Yeomen bats would go right back to work in the eighth, grabbing a stranglehold on the game with a five-run outpouring as they pounded out five hits in the inning.
William Paterson (24-13, 11-6 NJAC) won its opener Sunday against New Jersey City (12-26, 2-15 NJAC), 9-3, but game two of the doubleheader was unable to be started due to inclement weather and was postponed until Monday. William Paterson built a 6-0 advantage when the Gothic Knights got two of those runs back in the top of the sixth with three base hits and a sac fly. William Paterson scored three times during the home half of the eighth. NJCU added one ninth-inning run with a two-out hit to finish the scoring.
Graduate student George Rainer had himself a three-hit afternoon – including the game-tying RBI single – to help Rensselaer to a 8-5 come-from-behind victory over the Vassar Brewers at Robison Field Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Engineers improve to 24-13-1 and 11-5 in Liberty League play, while Vassar falls to 20-16 overall and 7-8 in league play. The win for RPI clinches a home field series next weekend in the Liberty League crossover weekend. RPI cut the Vassar lead to two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and broke through in the eighth inning. RPI ended the inning with a lead of 8-5. Rylan Wade - who came in to pitch in the top of the eighth – finished off the Brewers in the ninth to send the Engineers home with the win in his fifth win on the mound this season.
Husson closed out North Atlantic Conference action on Sunday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep of the Beavers en route to taking the four-game sweep of UMaine-Farmington. The Eagles won game one, 10-0, and game two, 10-3. With the wins, the Eagles improve to 19-16 and 14-2 in the NAC en route to a first place finish in the NAC East division and hosting rights for the upcoming conference tournament. The Beavers fall to 7-31 and 4-12 in the conference. The Eagles offense wasted no time as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Eagles tacked on a run in the third and fourth inning before exploding for three in the fifth thanks to RBI from freshman David York, senior Brett Riffe, and Kobe Rogerson. In the 7th, freshman Sully Beers capped off the scoring in game one as he tripled to right center field as two runs scored for the 10-0 victory. The offense continued their momentum from game one as the Eagles took the lead just five batters into the contest. The Beavers would fight into the contest with three runs in the second and it would stay a 7-3 lead until the fifth when the Eagles put the game to bed with a solo run followed by two in the sixth thanks to a J. Curtis homer.
Saint John's (Minn.) played Gustavus Adolphus to a doubleheader split on Sunday at Haugen Field at Becker Park. Fueled by three RBI each from senior first baseman Max Nyrop and junior left fielder Jack Schleper, the Johnnies (18-13, 9-5 MIAC) posted a 7-2 win in game one. Sophomore Connor Hartley picked up the win in relief (2-1 record). He allowed only one hit and struck out three in three scoreless innings. The Johnnies handed GAC's Luke Siegle his first loss of the season (7-1). The sophomore righty entered the start with a 1.77 ERA and a .175 opponent batting average, but SJU tagged him with five runs on just three hits. He walked four and struck out three in 3.1 innings. SJU, however, left 10 men on base and allowed seven runs after the seventh inning in an 11-2 loss to the Gusties (22-11, 13-3 MIAC) in the nightcap. Gustavus broke a 4-2 game open with six runs on seven hits in the eighth inning and plated another for good measure in the ninth.
Kalamazoo traveled to Olivet to complete the three-game series with a single game on Sunday afternoon. The Hornets won their third straight game over the Comets in seven innings by a score of 14-2. With this win, Kalamazoo moves to 16-2 in conference play and has clinched a share of the MIAA Regular Season Title. This is the first time since 1927 that a Kalamazoo baseball team has clinched that honor. The Hornets still have a three-game series against Adrian on May 5-6 with the opportunity to win the conference outright. Leo Schinker (6), Ryar Rinehart (5), and Harrison Poeszat (2) drove in 13 of the 14 runs, with all three collecting two hits apiece. Cooper Mills also reached base three times with a double and two walks.
Earlham split a doubleheader with Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on a rainy Sunday afternoon in Sadler Stadium. Earlham took game one 7-2 while Rose-Hulman dominated in a 16-9 win in the nightcap. Justin Dillhoff earned the win after starting the game and going 6.2 innings on the mound. Dillhoff scattered nine hits for one earned run, and recorded five strikeouts. Dawson Hope threw 2.1 innings in relief, and earned a save for his efforts. In game two, Rose-Hulman was tied 9-9 through the first six innings. After retaking the lead in the top of the seventh inning with a single run, Rose-Hulman scored six runs in the top of the ninth inning to close the door.
Willamette accumulated 20 hits, including home runs by Ethan Fischel and Drew Baskin, as the Bearcats defeated Puget Sound 11-8 at John Lewis Field on Sunday. WU closer Brady Joyner pitched the final 2 2/3 innings and registered his ninth save of the year. With the win, Willamette increased its record to 22-14. Puget Sound fell to 19-15 on the season. Fischel has hit six homers this season and has pounded out 28 home runs in his career, placing him fifth on Willamette's all-time list. Baskin belted his fourth homer of the year. The nine saves earned by Joyner place him third on Willamette's single season list. He trails Chris Hopton, who registered 10 saves in 1993, and Mike Corey, who produced 10 saves in 1994. Joyner has achieved 18 career saves, which place him second all-time at Willamette. Corey holds the school record with 23 saves from 1994-98.
Before the start of the USA South Athletic Conference Tournament, Greensboro had one more regular season game to take care of as they faced Brevard College in Game 3 of the weekend series. After winning the first two games, the Pride were looking for a series sweep, along with their 7th win in 8 games, and they would do just that, defeating the Tornados by a final score 12-6. Brevard got the first run of the game, in the bottom of the first inning, and then added four more in the second inning., to take the early lead, 5-0. Greensboro would answer and take their first lead of the game after a Sykes two-run double and that was followed by a Hayen sacrifice fly, scoring Weber, and then a three-run home run by Sophomore Myles Vacharasin to increase their advantage to 10-6. The Pride continued to score in the top of the ninth inning as Greensboro earned the series sweep with the win, 12-6.
After dropping two games yesterday at Marietta, Heidelberg was back in action today for a non-conference matchup with DePauw. Avenging their losses from yesterday, HU tallied 17 runs on 21 hits to knock off the Tigers, 17-5. Senior hurler Jackson Armbrecht (1-0) got the nod for Heidelberg. He picked up his first win of the season going five innings, giving up one run on four hits and fanning six in the win. Six Heidelberg players notched double digit hits on the day. Adam McVicker had himself a day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with two of those being home runs. Camden Farley also turned in a 4-for-4 day as well.
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| Skidmore took two out of three from Union over the weekend with a Sunday split at Shuttleworth Park. Skidmore was victorious in the first game of the doubleheader, 7-3, before dropping the nightcap 11-8. Skidmore athletics photo by Kyle Lancto |
St. Lawrence and Clarkson exploded for 16 runs combined in the fifth and sixth innings, but it was St. Lawrence that would outlast Clarkson 13-11 on senior day to take the weekend series on Sunday afternoon at Tom Fay Field. The Scarlet and Brown improved to 11-19 on the year and 5-13 in Liberty League play, while the Knights fell to 11-21 and 9-9 in conference action. Timothy Connor, Sean Desjardins, and John Donnellan each drove in two runs for the Saints, while Stephen Colangelo was tremendous in the field and a threat on offense scoring thrice in the contest. "Today was a great series win and send-off for the seniors," said head coach Kenny Collins "It was not a pretty game by any means, but we found a way to make it work and keep fighting. I'm proud of our efforts over the last few weeks; we haven't had the results overall but the resilience has been a constant."
For the UW-Superior Yellowjackets, one kept going and another, more remarkable streak went by the wayside. Heading into play Sunday, the Yellowjackets were riding a five-game winning streak, with the remarkable piece coming because all five of those wins came via a shutout. The 39 consecutive scoreless innings was a Yellowjacket program record. Sunday, the Yellowjackets stayed in the win column, which is obviously most important, but they said goodbye to their shutout streak. The Yellowjackets were victorious twice over North Central, taking the opening game 13-3 before closing out the sweep with a 25-1 win in the second at Reynolds Field in St. Paul. The Yellowjackets (18-11, 14-3 UMAC) have now won seven straight heading into their final week of the 2023 regular season.
Monmouth finished Midwest Conference play on Sunday with a 5-4 walkoff win against Illinois College. The Scots (16-20, 11-13) kept their postseason hopes alive with the win, rallying from 4-0 down to win on Senior Day. It was still 4-2 into the bottom of the sixth. Jack Kuethe led off with a double and Lummus was hit by a pitch. Both moved up on a sacrifice bunt and Kuethe scored on a wild pitch. With two on and two out, Scott tied the game with an infield single as Lummus scored. Cade Sharp struck out five in a row at one point and kept IC off the scoreboard. With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Melvin doubled down the right-field line. He moved to third on a groundout and IC intentionally walked Kuethe. With Lummus at the plate, Melvin scored on a wild pitch for the 5-4 walkoff win.
Dubuque celebrated the final home doubleheader on Sunday for Senior Day against the Washington University Bears. UD swept game one in seven innings 12-1, but the Bears got the revenge in game two holding the the Spartans hitless through six and 2/3 innings before UD earned one hit in a 0-20 loss. In the opener, the Spartans bats were alive in the blustery, cold, windy wet conditions. UD compiled 12 runs off 13 hits and played errorless. In game two, it was all Bears. UD struggled offensively being held hitless for six and 2/3 innings. The no-hitter was broken up by pitch hitter Matt Wolverton when he singled to right center with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. UD committed seven costly errors in the loss as the Bears scored 20 runs off 15 hits.
Case Western Reserve third baseman Zack Carinci hit safely in his 29th-straight game to set a new program record for consecutive games with a hit, as the Spartans rolled to a 15-5 win against Mount Union at Nobby's Ballpark in Cleveland on Sunday. Carinci broke the previous record of 28-straight games with a hit set by former Spartans Sam Alexander during the 2011 campaign with a single in the fifth inning. He finished the game one-for-three with two runs, a RBI, and a pair of walks. The Spartans scored their 15 runs on 21 hits, marking the 10th time i their last 11 games that the team has scored 10 or more runs in a game. The win was the 12th-straight victory for the Spartans and the team's 16th win in its last 17 contests, as CWRU improved to 26-12 overall. Mount Union dropped to 21-14 with the loss.
Kaden Dugle and Ethan Cartwright combined for nine hits and five RBIs to lead Asbury (22-13-1) to a doubleheader sweep over Johnson University 10-7 and 8-3 in Knoxville, Tn., to finish the 2023 regular season. Asbury's offense produced double-digit hits in both games, using 12 in game one and 10 in game two. Dugle and Cartwright were responsible for six in game one and three in game two. Eli Wilder and Brody Bearden both grabbed wins on the mound, taking their team-leading win amounts to five apiece. Holten Handel and Caleb Poll both struck out three hitters out of the bullpen to hold Johnson off in late inning pushes.
Celebrating it's seniors on a rainy day at MSOE Raiders Stadium, MSOE cruised past Lakeland with a shutout run-rule in game one, 10-0, while holding onto a high scoring game two, 11-8. Discipline was shown immediately by MSOE (20-12, 12-8 NACC) as they built a 6-0 lead. The Raiders continued to add insurance scoring four more runs over the next six innings, but it was not needed at all with how the pitching staff played in game one. A hot start for the Raiders came in game two as well as they loaded to bases leading to a five run first inning. Unlike like game one however, Lakeland (6-25, 4-14 NACC) didn't back down and got to with one midway through the fourth inning. After the Muskies almost had the bottom half wrapped up, the Raiders tacked on four run to help sit comfortably again leading 9-4 after four innings of play.