| Tyler Pfeffer went 3-for-5
with two doubles and three runs scored, including leading off
Sunday's portion of the game with a two-bagger. d3photography.com photo by Ryan Coleman |
By Blair Reitzner for D3sports.com
GRAND CHUTE, Wis. -- Whitworth’s freshman duo of Carson Blumenthal and Nick Scourey combined for a five hitter giving up two runs, one earned, as the Pirates remained alive in the Division III World Series, defeating Christopher Newport 7-2.
- Sunday's schedule
- Saturday's score
- Friday's results
- Championship preview
- Eight teams with hope
- D3baseball.com All-American team
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Blumenthal struck out four while giving up two runs, one earned. Scourey, who took over when the game was resumed Sunday after being suspended by rain, pitched all four of the remaining innings not giving up a run; giving up two hits while walking four and striking out one.
“(It was) pretty unbelievable,” Scourey said. “I don’t think I have ever imagined, even just growing up, that I would have the opportunity to pitch in the college world series.”
Whitworth got things going right away on Sunday as senior Kevin Valerio’s single scored the first run of the day after a 20 hour, 31 minute delay driving in Tyler Pfeffer who led off the inning with a double.
Another two runs for the Pirates came across in the eighth inning with a JR Jarrell double driving in his third RBI of the game. The Pirates did not need any of the runs that they scored on the second day as Scourey did not allow any runs. Jarrell ended the game going 3-for-5 with three RBIs. D3baseball.com West Region Player of the Year also went 3-for-5 with two doubles. He also scored three runs.
Things got a little shaky late in the game. The Captains led off thebottom of the eighth with three consecutive walks, but Scourey managed to wiggle himself out of the inning. Ben Lenda hit a chopper to third that Paul Miller threw home to cut down the runner coming from third for the first out.
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Fun fact No record is kept for longest time between pitches, but the 20 hours, 31 minutes is not the longest for Whitworth as the Pirates had a game suspended for 28 hours earlier this season. |
Christopher McDougal followed with a fly ball to right, which Ryan Beecroft caught and threw a missile to the plate to nab Matt Shoemaker. Catcher Joshua Davis held on in the collision, ending Christopher Newport’s chances of a big inning.
The Pirates escaped with a win despite committing an overwhelming six errors. Pirates coach Dan Ramsay said: “Sometimes you got to win ugly. You know you have six errors or an inning where you put three guys on bases and load the bases right away but that’s a sign of a good team is being able to win a game when you win it ugly.”
| The tarp went on at 3:25 p.m.
Central time Saturday and never came off. d3photography.com photo by Larry Radloff |
On Saturday, the action of the game started quickly. After a walk by Billy Steel and a balk that advanced him to second, Luke Saunders’ single got the Captains on the board first.
The Pirates answered and took the lead with three hits of their own in the bottom half of the inning. A single by Gerhard Muelheims and a double by Pfeffer put runners on second and third, which led to a sacrifice fly by Landon Scott. Right after Scott’s sacrifice, JR Jarrell’s single drove in the second run.
In the third inning the scoring started again as the Captains capitalized on two Pirate errors which led to a sacrifice fly by Shoemaker tying the game up at two. Yet again the Pirates had an answer scoring two more runs to take a 4-2 lead.Whitworth will either play Wheaton (Mass.) or Cortland State on May 28 at 10 a.m.