May 26, 2023

Super-Regionals - Day One

 
Senior starting pitcher Zach Clesas (pictured) allowed two runs on just five hits through seven and a third innings and No. 8 Wheaton College (Mass.) took advantage of three errors in a 4-2 victory over No. 1 Johns Hopkins Friday afternoon in the first game of the NCAA Division III Super Regional at Babb Field at Stromberg Stadium in Baltimore, Md. The game was finished in a snappy 1:46.
Wheaton (Mass.) athletics photo

 

Five host teams found themselves with a win on Friday as Day One ended.The winning teams out-scored their opponents by three runs in earnin a one game advantage with eight doubleheaders scheduled for Saturday.

David McCurry and Joe Valenti combined on a seven-hitter as Misericordia took the opening game of their NCAA Super Regional series at Marietta, 8-3, Friday afternoon. McCurry allowed just two runs over six innings to get the win and Valenti allowed just one hit over three innings to get the save. Brock Bollinger had three hits and three RBI and Brady Madden had three hits and scored two runs. Jason Sanfilippo had two hits and two RBI and Joe Comins, Connor Maryniak and Brendan Gray all had two hits to pace MU's 14-hit attack.

East Texas Baptist opened the NCAA Division III Baseball Super Regional with a 9-1 victory over La Verne. The Tigers (39-12) continue to extend their program best in wins and improved to 27-6 at the friendly confines, which includes nine of the past 11 during conference and national postseason. ETBU looks to secure the three-game series on Saturday with the first game of possibly two on the day starting at 11 a.m. The Tigers opened the scoring with two runs in the second inning and would extend the margin in the fourth with a four-spot. Three runs in the seventh, which included consecutive home runs by Brett Wagner and Jase Jones capped the first Super Regional game for ETBU. Jordan Hara and Wagner each tallied three hits and Hara had a game-high three RBI. Cole Godkin carried a no-hitter through four innings and would go six shutout innings.

No. 12 nationally ranked Baldwin Wallace took down No. 5 ranked and NCAA Super Regional host Aurora in the first game of the Super Regional best of three series. The Yellow Jackets picked up a 6-5 victory on the Jim Schmid Field at the Stuart Sports Complex. BW (35-10) was led by senior All-Ohio Athletic Conference first baseman Alexis Castillo who went 2-for-4 with a go-ahead two run single in the eighth. Senior All-OAC right-handed pitcher Dawson Gabe picked up his sixth win of the season after going allowing one hit over four innings.

Lynchburg cruised to a 9-6 victory over Shenandoah in Game 1 of its super regional matchup. Victorious for a fourth time on the season against No. 3 Shenanodah, Lynchburg now stands within a win of advancing to Cedar Rapids for the NCAA Division III baseball national championship. After Lynchburg's win in the best-of-three series, Shenandoah must win twice against Lynchburg on Saturday to clinch a spot in the next round. Behind the reliable arms of Zack Potts and Old Dominion Athletic Conference pitcher of the year Jack Bachmore, Lynchburg stomped on the gas pedal despite being outhit twelve to eight. Lynchburg's pitching staff stranded 12 Shenandoah runners on base as opposed to Lynchburg's six. In his 6.2 innings of work, Potts allowed 10 hits and three earned runs. Striking out five, he earned his 11th win of the 2023 campaign: tied for second-best in the nation. He also tied Matt Gouker's 2005 program record for single-season Ws.

No. 4 Endicott forged an 8-1 lead by the seventh inning before holding off Ithaca, 12-10, in the opening game of a best-of-three NCAA Super Regional at North Field. After plating nine runs between the seventh and eighth frames, Ithaca went down 1-2-3 in the ninth against Max Tarlin, who worked at least 1.2 innings in relief for the eighth time this season. Six of his 10 saves have come in such situations. Nicolas Notarangelo finished 2-for-4 with two runs, four RBI, and a pair of walks, Dylan Pacheco was 2-for-4 with three RBI, and Denny MacDougall had a hit in three at-bats while scoring three runs, walking three times, and stealing a trio of bases. Louis Fabbo plated five runs for Ithaca.

Second-ranked Salisbury moved to the doorstep of a return to Cedar Rapids, racing out to a big lead and holding off a late charge to take down the 23rd-ranked Rowan Profs, 10-6, in Game One of the NCAA Division III Super Regionals on Friday afternoon at Donnie Williams Sea Gull Baseball Stadium. Danny Sheeler tied the Sea Gull single-season record of 13 home runs, set by Dave Westervelt in 1998, with a fourth-inning solo dinger. Sheeler finished the day 2-for-4 with a double, homer, two runs and two RBIs. Jimmy Adkins (6-0) took a shutout into the seventh to pick up his second straight postseason win, allowing five runs on 12 hits over 6.2 innings. Adkins walked none and punched out six on 114 pitches; at 291 career strikeouts he is now nine away from becoming just the second Sea Gull to fan 300 for his career. Benji Thalheimer needed just three pitches to nail down his first save of the year, inducing the game-ending double play in the ninth. Jason Morgan led the way for the Profs by going 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.

UW-La Crosse earned a 10-7 win over UW-Stevens Point in the first game of the NCAA Division III best-of-three Super Regional Friday afternoon at Copeland Park. The Eagles, now 35-10 on the season, will need one win on Saturday to earn a bid to the NCAA III Championships June 2-8 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Pointers drop to 32-13. Payton Nelson delivered a two-out three-run home run to give UW-Stevens Point a 7-6 lead after four inning and stayed that way until the eighth, In the eighth, UWL's Chris VandenHeuvel reached on a throwing error to start the inning. After a strikeout and pop-out, pinch-hitter Mac Born hit a two-run home run to right center field to give the Eagles an 8-7 lead. UWL added a pair of runs in the top of the ninth to finish the scoring. UWL finished with 15 hits in Friday's win as all nine starters recorded at least one. Ty Hamilton went 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI while Jordan Williams finished 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBI.