June 5, 2023

Baldwin Wallace forces second bracket tilt

Kade Swisher saved the Baldwin Wallace bullpen for the second bracket one championship game with a complete game win.
Photo by Steve Frommell, d3photography.com | Photos for game one  |  Photos for game two
 

By Jim Dixon
D3baseball.com

Cedar Rapids, Iowa - Lets play three. Baldwin Wallace forced a second bracket one winners game with a 6-3 win at the 2023 D-III World Series being played on PG Cares Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The game will follow the bracket two game at a time to be determined following the conclusion of the second game of the day.

Baldwin Wallace continued to swing hot bats, Kade Swisher shut down a potent Johns Hopkins offense, and Vincent Capolupo made a game saving catch to extend the Yellow Jackets season one more game.

Swisher pitched a complete game, saving the bullpen for the late game. He allowed three runs on nine hits and two walks. He struckout six.

Johns Hopkins was down three runs in the eighth inning with the bases loaded when Matthew Cooper sent a drive to the deepest part of the park that Capolupo tracked down to end the inning and preserve the three run lead.

Seven player had hits for the Yellow Jackets with Sean Kolenich with a team high two hits.

Baldwin Wallace opened the scoring as they stole a run in the first. Kolenich, who doubled to left, came home on a wild pitch. The pitcher was late in covering the plate and the catcher fielded the ball a couple feet from the plate and lunged but was late as Kolenich slide ahead of the tag.

The Yellow Jackets added another in the second. Ryan Guggenheim opened the inning with a single to right. and after a base-on-balls to Andrew Parker, was sacrificed 90 feet. Matt Terzola's fly ball was deep enough to plate Guggenheim.

Three more runs were put on the scoreboard by BW, one in the fourth and two in the fifth. Capolupo tripled in the fourth to drive home Terzola.  In the fifth, Luke Vanderhaar and Nick Clark walked. Miscues allowed them both to reach third base with Vanderhaar scoring on a sac fly and Clark on a single by Parker.

Johns Hopkins got on the board in the sixth. Three straight extra-base hits broke the shutout. Dillon Souvignier doubled to left center and scored on Shawn Steuerer's triple down the right line. Steurer scored on Sam Frank's double to right.

Johns Hopkins made it a two run game with a run in the seventh. Sam Browning came in to hit for Jake Siani and was plunked by Swisher. Following a walk to Copper, Steuerer singled him home for the final Johns Hopkins run.

This story will be updated following the bracket championship game slated for a 4:30 PM central start. As with all 4:30 pm starts, the game time will change.