SALISBURY, Md. – For the third straight year, the second-ranked Salisbury University baseball team will end its season on college baseball's biggest stage.
 
Down by margins of 8-0 and 12-5, the Sea Gulls scored 12 runs over the final two innings to surge past the 23rd-ranked Rowan Profs, 17-12, to clinch the Salisbury Super Regional championship on Saturday afternoon at Donnie Williams Sea Gull Baseball Stadium.
 
With the win, Salisbury has punched its ticket to its third consecutive NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, which begins on Friday, June 2, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Playing as the home team, the Profs drew first blood in the bottom of the second inning. Ryan Murphy, Jason Morgan and Pat Defeciani strung together three straight base hits, the third of which scored a run. Brian Gallante came up next and laid down a squeeze bunt to plate Morgan and put RU ahead 2-0.
• Rowan doubled its lead in the third as Phil Sedalis led off with a single and Murphy homered to left three batters later to make it 4-0.
• In the fifth the Profs loaded the bases with one out and Murphy brought a run home on an RBI groundout. Morgan singled home two more, stole second and came home on a Defeciani base hit to make it a four-run inning and an 8-0 lead.
• The Sea Gulls answered with a four-spot of their own in the top of the sixth. Jacob Ference got the party going with a record-tying solo home run, then after back-to-back walks Andrew Kell laced a pinch-hit two-run double down the left field line. Two batters later Cameron Hyder dunked an RBI single into center to bring SU back within 8-4.
• Rowan got three of those runs back in the home sixth. Chris Curcio led off with a walk and Tyler Cannon doubled to put men in scoring position. Sedalis singled both runners home, took second on an error and came home on an Anthony Schooley knock to rebuild the cushion to 11-4.
• The teams picked up a run each in the seventh. Salisbury got one home on a Luke Weddell RBI single, while Rowan responded when Defeciani scored on an error to make it 12-5.
• Salisbury stormed all the way back with an eight-run top of the eighth. After two straight hit batsmen to lead off, Roman March ripped a pinch-hit two-run triple into the right field corner. March in turn scored on a Kavi Caster sac fly to cut the deficit to 12-8.
• With two more runners on after an error and a walk, Stephen Rice hit a ball that ate up Schooley at third, allowing another run to score. Two batters later Dom Frigiola tagged an RBI single, then two more came in on a Scott Cameron single-plus-error that tied the game at 12-12.
• Two straight walks loaded the bases and Cameron sprinted home with the go-ahead run on a wild pitch, giving Salisbury its first lead at 13-12.
• The Sea Gulls nailed the coffin shut with a four-run ninth. After back-to-back one-out walks, Weddell squared up for an RBI single, then two batters later Cameron lofted one into the jet stream in left for an opposite-field three-run homer, punctuating the game and boosting the SU advantage to 17-12.
• The Profs got a pair of two-out baserunners on a walk and a single, but Benji Thalheimer forced Sedalis to line out sharply to Rice at short, and the celebration was on for the maroon-and-gold-clad fans at Williams Stadium.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Scott Cameron homered to the opposite field for the second straight day, going 2-for-4 with a dinger, three runs and four RBIs.
• Jacob Ference notched his 13th blast of the year to tie teammate Danny Sheeler and Dave Westervelt '98 for the single-season SU home run lead; he finished 3-for-3 with three walks and four runs scored.
• Luke Weddell finished 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, while Stephen Rice went 1-for-3 with a pair of walks and three runs scored.
• Andrew Kell and Roman March each contributed two-run pinch-hit extra-base knocks, with Kell doubling and March tripling off the bench.
• Bryce Sterling (2-0) scooped up in the win in relief after surrendering an unearned run on one hit in an inning of work.
• Benji Thalheimer converted his second save in as many games with two scoreless innings to close it out, scattering two hits and a walk with two strikeouts.
• Jackson Balzan pitched 4.1 innings in a no-decision, allowing seven runs (four earned) on seven hits with one walk and two strikeouts on 73 pitches.

ROWAN GAME NOTES

• Ryan Murphy paced the Profs by going 3-for-4 with a double, home run, two runs and three RBIs.
• Tyler Cannon finished 3-for-6 with a double and two runs scored.
• Phil Sedalis, Jason Morgan and Pat Defeciani each notched two RBIs.
• Dylan Maria (0-1) was saddled with the loss after giving up the final four runs of Salisbury's eight-run eighth. He finished with a line of four runs (three earned) on two hits in a third of an inning.
• Zach Grace held SU off the board for the first five innings, ultimately going 6.1 frames of five-run, eight-hit ball with four walks and 10 strikeouts.

UP NEXT

• Salisbury advances to the 2023 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, set to be held at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from June 2-8.
• The Sea Gulls will head to the Division III "College World Series" for the eighth time and become the first team since Cortland and Emory in 2014-16 to make three consecutive appearances.
• SU aims to become the first team since St. Thomas (Minn.) [1999-2001] to make three straight appearances in the tournament finals after having won the national championship in 2021 and finishing runner-up in 2022.
• Salisbury's seeding and matchup in the eight-team, double-elimination bracket will be determined and revealed in the coming days.

Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, and dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on-and-off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 22 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 188 conference championships and 44 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or on social media @SUSeaGulls.