CORTLAND, N.Y. – Washington & Jefferson College junior pitcher Dante DiMatteo (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) tossed a complete game shutout to power the Presidents to a 7-0 victory over Colby College in an NCAA Tournament elimination game Saturday morning at the SUNY Cortland Regional.
The win improves W&J to 33-13 overall. The Presidents advance to play later in the day Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in another elimination game. W&J will take on the loser of Saturday's middle game between #8 Salve Regina and #21 Cortland. Colby, who made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, finishes up at 29-12 overall.
DiMatteo was stellar in his first complete game shutout effort. The junior tossed a career-high 128 pitches. DiMatteo struck out 10 and walked four in the victory. He allowed just three hits. Two of the three hits came in the first three batters of the game. DiMatteo improves to 6-1 this season.
The shutout is just the second by a W&J pitcher in 48 all-time games in the NCAA Tournament for the Red and Black. Eddie Nogay pitched a complete game effort in an 8-0 win over Wooster in a 2012 NCAA elimination game.
Colby got a leadoff single by Marcus Forrester and a one-out double to deep center by Brady O'Brien gave the Mules a chance at scoring the game's first run. However, a strong relay by freshman outfielder Zac Stern (Coraopolis, Pa./Montour) to junior shortstop Jacob LaDuca(Clarence, N.Y./Canisius) to catcher sophomore catcher Luke Alvarez (Elizabeth, Pa./Elizabeth Forward) nailed Forrester at home with relative ease. You could put a circle around that play as that helped W&J pick up some early game momentum and keep Colby off the scoreboard.
LaDuca then led off the bottom of the first with a stand up double after ripping one into the left center field gap. Scout Zaas (Powell, Ohio/Wellington School) produced a two-out RBI double to score LaDuca to give W&J a 1-0 lead after an inning of play.
Neither team pushed anything across in the second inning. Colby then threatened in the top of the third. The Mules put runners on the corners before DiMatteo worked out of the jam by striking out Mules' cleanup hitter Noah Reichman to end the threat.
The Presidents took advantage of a two-out error to score three unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth. Freshman designated hitter Brian Feldman (Gibsonia, Pa./Eden Christian Academy) drilled a 1-1 pitch over the right field fence. His no-doubt home run extended the W&J lead to 3-0. Freshman infielder Brendan Cruz (Carnegie, Pa./Chartiers Valley) followed with a walk and scored on an RBI double off the fence by Alvarez to make it 4-0.
The Mules put a pair of runners on base in the fourth inning. However, DiMatteo induced an inning-ending double play to escape with the 4-0 lead intact.
W&J loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth inning. LaDuca led off with a single and a pair of walks to senior first baseman Nolan Lutz(McDonald, Pa./South Fayette) and Stern filled up the bases. A first pitch groundout allowed the Mules to escape without any damage.
The Presidents tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the seventh. A two-out RBI single by Josh Dezenzo (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) and a two-out RBI triple by Cruz stretched the lead to 6-0.
A single by junior outfielder Drew Garth (Glenshaw, Pa./North Hills) and a frozen-rope double to the left center field gap by Lutz extended the lead to 7-0 in the eighth.
LaDuca led the Presidents once again at the plate. The junior shortstop reached base in four of five at bats with a pair of hits and a pair of walks. Alvarez, who was making his first start since April 28, drilled a pair of doubles off the left field fence. Zaas added a pair of hits.
Colby starter Thomas Rioux took his first loss of the season. Rioux, who earned a win over the Presidents during a 2023 Spring Break matchup, gave up four runs (one earned) in four innings of work.