By Jim Dixon
D3sports.com

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Eastern Connecticut used a one-hit inning to score four and followed it up with a two run frame and went on to defeat the Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets 10-3  in game three of the Division III baseball championship.

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Four walks in the sixth inning helped the Warriors to their first lead. Once they grabbed the lead, the Warrior offense took control with six more runs in the seventh and eighth to ice the game. They will face the winner of the LaGrange and Trinity (Texas) in Saturday’s Bracket 2 winner's bracket game, scheduled for 7:45 p.m. CT.

"It has been a long journey for us," said Eastern Connecticut head coach Brian Hamm. "We have had our ups and down these past couple weeks."

Bill Oldham had a rough start to the game but settled down to earn his eleventh win with help from Aiden Dunn and Bryan Albee

"The first inning they came out swinging," said Oldham. "The first inning was a little crazy, it was not what I wanted to do in the first inning. We have our big four and right now anyone can start or some one close a game and we used two of them today. We have a beep bullpen that can get out for us."

Jason Claiborn rounds second on his way to third base as his two-run triple in the eighth inning was the only extra-base hit for the Warriors in their 10-3 win against Baldwin Wallace. Photo by Steve Frommell, d3photography.com

Baldwin Wallace came out swinging but despite loading the bases in the first inning, they were kept off the board. Their approach at the plate in the second earned them a 1-0 lead. The first two batters struckout but they strung three singles together with Alex Ludwick's single to center plating Andrew Parker.

"I thought our approach was really good," said Baldwin Wallace head coach Brian Harrison. "We have a two strike approach. It starts at the top [of the order]. We have some older boys that swing it well."

The score remained 1-0 until the sixth inning. The Yellow Jackets were 1-2-3 but Eastern Connecticut did anything but. The Warriors brought 10 players to the plate, scoring four on one hit. Luke Broadhurst opened the inning with a walk and was joined by Matt Malcom with another free pass. This was curtains for Dawson Gabe as Drew Wilson came out of right field to pitch. A hit batter loaded the bases and everyone advanced a base when Jack Rich single to right, the only hit of the inning. Josh Tower walked and forced in Malcolm. A flyout to short right field was not deep enough to score John Mesagno from third as all the runners held their positions. Jason Claiborn's high chopper was fielded by Wilson, whose throw was off target for one of four Baldwin Wallace errors on the day. Wilson's subsequent wild pitch was fielded by the catcher and for a moment, there were two outs. The umpires went to the tape and determined that the throw was late and the fourth run of the inning was on the boards and ECSU was ahead 4-1.

"We did not play our best game," said Harrison. "Baseball is a game youo cannot win but can lose. We gave them a lot of freebies."

"We have such a disciplined team , it forced pitchers to draw pitches over the plate," said Hamm. "We are so good offensively we can draw walks."

In the top of the seventh, Baldwin Wallace left fielder Andrew Parker hit a one-out single and moved up a base on Vincent Capolupo's safety to center. Luke Vonderhaar got his second hit of the game that drove in Parker for the Yellow Jackets' second run of the day.

The Warriors added two more runs in the seventh to grow their lead. Malcom opened the inning with a single and Mesagno was hit by a pitch. After both moved up one spot on a sacrifice bunt, Tower singled home Malcom and Claiborn's infield single plated Mesagno.

Baldwin Wallace added one on their ledger with a double by Mark Mohnicky Jr. that scored Wilson. Wilson reached first base on a base hit to center.

The Eastern Connecticut eighth inning was the back-breaker as they scored four runs. The big hit in the inning was Claiborn's triple, the first extra-base hit for the Warriors.

The game ended on a scary note as the ball off the bat of Vonderhaar ricocheted off the shin of Eastern Connecticut pitcher Bryan Albee to the first baseman. As the baseman was fielding the ball for the final out, the training staff moved to assist the pitcher who was able to jump up and join his teamamtes in celebration.

Baldwin Wallace will face the loser of LaGrange and Trinity (Texas) in an elimination game at 4:30 p.m. CT on Saturday.