Trinity (Texas) earned a 2-1 win in the opening game of the SCAC Championships Tournament. With the win, Trinity earned their ninth consecutive SCAC Tournament victory. Ben Klimesh tied the school record for wins (12) in a season, throwing a complete-game three-hitter.  Klimesh allowed one unearned run and struck out eight batters in the game. In other SCAC tournament games, Birmingham-Southern defeated Dallas 6-4 and Rhodes defeated Hendrix 7-2.

Senior Robert Garrett pitched a complete game for the Hornets. Lynchburg athletics photo

• Thursday's scores
• Friday's schedule

Kevin Chandler pitched a complete-game five-hitter Thursday and the Eagles pushed across an unearned run in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat Guilford, 2-1, in the opening round of the ODAC tournament at Lynchburg's City Stadium. Chandler and Quakers' righthander Will James dominated in a classic pitcher's duel with James also going the distance, allowing just six hits and one earned run. In other tournament action, Randolph-Macon defeated Emory and Henry 7-5, and Lynchburg was an 8-1 winner over Hampden-Sydney.

Top-seeded Saint Joseph's rallied to defeat Suffolk, 7-5, in a GNAC Tournament quarterfinal contest at Larry Mahaney Diamond. With the victory St. Joe's remains in the winner's bracket of the GNAC Tournament and will face third seed Anna Maria, which defeated Johnson & Wales by a 5-3 margin earlier this evening, at Pierce Field in East Providence, RI. Suffolk heads to the loser's bracket and will play Johnson & Wales in an elimination game.

Senior Chris Cirlincione tossed a complete-game shutout to lead No. 10 Kean past No. 24 Ramapo, 2-0, NJAC action. Circlincione improves to 5-2 this season after scattering four hits with one walk in the win.  He also fanned eight in a rare cool, rainy day at Jim Hynes Stadium.

Leadoff batter Daniel Mello was 2 for 4 and drove in the game-winning run with an RBI double in the seventh inning to lead Endicott to a 4-2 non-conference victory over Westfield State. Endicott improves to 22-14 as the Gulls won their 11th game in the last 12 starts. Westfield is 17-16.

After pitching out of the bullpen in his first eight outings this year without a decision, Tom Darby is 4-0 in four starts. Eastern Connecticut State photo by Nicolas Wilcox

Junior lefty Tom Darby contributed his fourth straight quality start and first baseman Joe Balowski hit a two-run home run in the third inning as Eastern Connecticut State defeated Wheaton (Mass.), 4-2, at the Eastern Baseball Stadium. Ranked No. 16 nationally, Eastern improved to 11-4 at home this year and defeated No. 5 Wheaton for the first time in the last three meetings in the final regular-season home game of the year. The Lyons, ranked No. 1 in New England and No. 2 nationally, have lost two straight for the first time this year.

In a game that included four lead changes, visitingWashington (Mo.) handed 15th-ranked DePauw a 7-6 loss. The Tigers dropped to 30-8 with the loss, while the Bears improved to 25-12. Five of the Tigers' eight losses have come by one run.

Aram Mulhern tossed a complete-game seven-hitter, allowing an earned run and striking out three to lead Mass Maritime to a 4-3 victory over Newbury at Commodore Hendy Field. Mulhern threw 120 pitches (80 for strikes) and overcame a pair of walks with a double play and nine ground ball outs to improve to 2-1 on the season for the host Buccaneers, who overcame deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 with a decisive two-run rally in the bottom of the fifth.

UW-La Crosse split a non-conference doubleheader with St. Olaf at North Campus Field. The Eagles won the opener, 6-3, before the Oles came back to win the nightcap, 6-3.  No. 22 UW-La Crosse is now 23-9 on the season.  St. Olaf is 12-23. UW-La Crosse had its 11-game winning streak snapped with the loss in the nightcap. The 11-game winning streak was the longest since 1979.  The Eagles also suffered its first home loss of the season, wrapping up its regular season at 13-1 at North Campus Field.

Gettysburg scored all eight of its runs over its last three innings and the Bullets won their fourth game in a row,defeating Lebanon Valley 8-4 in a non-conference tilt at Kirchhoff Field. Gettysburg has now won nine of its last 10 games heading into its Centennial Conference regular season finale this Saturday. Joe Saladino earned his first collegiate victory for Gettysburg, throwing 6.1 innings and holding the Flying Dutchmen to two runs on seven hits. Classmate Rob Stalzer worked out of a jam in the seventh closed out the win for his second save in three days.

No. 21 Shenandoah ran its winning streak to three games with a 14-5 non-league victory over Stevenson. Shenandoah, the nation's leader in home runs, hit two dingers against the Mustangs. Senior Cory Nelson hit the second of these two home runs to tie the career record at Shenandoah. Nelson now has 30 career home runs to tie Scott Van Dusseldorp for the all-time lead at Shenandoah.

17U, 18U  October 9, 2011  NOON  (11:30 Check-In at AE)

15U, 16U  October 15, 16 2011  1:00PM  (12:30 Check-In at AE)

Jake Gordon couldn’t imagine a better way to prepare for his first season of college baseball than suiting up for another summer with Academy Elite.

The North Shore Country Day graduate played with the Glenview-based club for the third year, and Gordon said this squad was the best one yet.

The 18U Nationals completed its season with a championship Sunday at the Diamond Sports Promotion World Series at Illinois State. Academy Elite beat the DuPage Dragons 15-5 for the title to finish 7-0 in Bloomington.

“This is great preparation for college baseball, no matter what level you will play on,” said Gordon, who will play at Division III Lawrence University in Wisconsin.

According to Academy Elite’s website, 12 players on the Nationals are committed to play college baseball, including Loyola graduate Pat Rahill, who is heading to Notre Dame. Every player graduated high school this year except Lane’s Cody Davis, who will be a senior.

“This is by far the best team I’ve been on here,” said Gordon, who played second base for the Nationals. “The talent was unbelievable on this team. Everybody in the lineup could hit.”

Academy Elite scored a tournament-best 65 runs. The Nationals beat the Central Illinois Outlaws 15-3 in the semifinals before topping the DuPage Dragons by 10 runs in the championship game.

Gordon said the team’s 5-4 win over the DuPage Diamondbacks probably was the game that pushed the Nationals to the title.

“We had a big comeback against them, and I think it gave us the confidence to keep going,” he said. “We then played with so much energy.”

Phil Apostle, the club’s president, said he believed this group was destined for greatness early on this summer.

“You could tell they were special,” he said. “It all culminated in a fantastic finish. They really jelled at the right time.

“It was a bunch of kids that really enjoyed playing with each other.”

This was the second year in a row the Nationals won a summer-ending tournament under coach Zach Martin, a New Trier graduate. Academy Elite finished last year with a championship in Iowa City, Iowa, with several of the same players.

Like Gordon, Charlie Apfelbach played with Academy Elite for three years. The Glenbrook North graduate started in center field for the Nationals at Illinois State last weekend. He had two hits in the championship game.

“We had high expectations,” said Apfelbach, who will play at Denison. “It was a great team effort, and everything went perfectly.”

Apfelbach’s success this summer came after the Spartans went 33-4 in the spring and played for a supersectional championship. Glenbrook North graduates Jason Pomeroy, Ryan Slawin and Sean Thomas also played for the Nationals. Pomeroy, a late addition to the team, started on the mound for the title game Sunday.

“What a way to end my high school career,” Apfelbach said. “Hopefully, this will carry on. I’m ready to take on the next challenge.”

When Zach Martin was in elementary school, someone told him he would make a good baseball coach.

More than a dozen years later, Martin is in business — and with the man who spoke those prescient words to him.

Guess what? Phil Apostle, Martin’s mentor and youth hitting instructor, was right.

Martin is a good coach, if not a great one.

For the second year in a row, he guided the Glenview-based Academy Elite Nationals to a summer-ending tournament championship. Two weeks ago, the Nationals went 7-0 to win the Diamond Sports Promotion’s World Series at Illinois State University. Last summer, Martin led Academy Elite to a title in Iowa.

“I realized in college that I was not going to go pro,” said the 26-year-old North Shore native. “If I wanted to stay in baseball, I knew I would have to coach. I just had to wrap my head around it.”

A 2003 graduate of New Trier, Martin earned an invitation as a preferred walk-on at Miami University (Ohio) as a pitcher and infielder. But an arm injury, which he hid from his Trevians coaches during his senior season, prevented him from fulfilling that dream.

Martin was relegated to playing for Miami’s club team, but he proved he was one of the best in the country by grabbing All-America recognition. Then, a torn ACL ended his playing days before he graduated.

Instead of stepping away from baseball, Martin started coaching in college and developed a desire that remains with him today. In 2009, Martin and Apostle created Academy Elite, which features several travel teams, including the Nationals.

“We saw a need for alternative programs in the Glenview, Northbrook and North Shore area,” Martin said. “We started this three years ago, and we built it up.”

Academy Elite is just that. Not only does the club attract top talent, it demands more. Martin said the organization requires good grades and a promise to stay out of trouble off the field.

“Our goal is to give them lessons from the age of 9 to when they are 22,” he said. “We treat our kids like pros. It’s an intensely laid-back atmosphere. We treat them with respect, and we expect them to treat us with respect.”

Charlie Apfelbach is one player who’s been with Academy Elite since its inception. Martin likes to think of the recent Glenbrook North graduate as a success story for the club.

“He was a good athlete without direction,” Martin said of the Denison University (Ohio) recruit. “He was one I took under my wing, and watched progress and mature. To see them become young men is a cool experience.”

Apfelbach is one of 12 Nationals who will play college baseball, mostly at NCAA Division III colleges. New Trier graduate Eric West is another.

“I’ve taught Eric since he was young,” Martin said. “He’s an absolute dominant hitter. He’s a Division I bat going to Amherst. They are lucky to have him.”

Another championship or not, Martin will spend the next several weeks contacting colleges about the next crop of Academy Elite players.

“This is a critical time,” he said

By Z.W. Martin - Blogger

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Jun 7, 2011 - There are many moments as a coach that truly make you happy for a player in your program -- a kid's first home run, getting and accepting a college offer or being selected to an individual seasonal award, to name a few. But there is none like watching a junior high kid grow into a man, work hard and then get rewarded by a major league team. I got my first taste today, as Charlie Tilson of New Trier High School was drafted 79th overall by the St. Louis Cardinals.

I got to know Charlie about five years ago when he was going into his freshman year in high school. He was taking private lessons with his hitting coach (and my good friend/colleague) Phil Apostle at AcademyELITE Baseball in Glenview. Charlie was a very nice and humble kid even then, making fun of himself by rehashing the story of last year's first overall pick Bryce Harper going yard agains him in Cooperstown when he was 12-years-old.

It was clear then Charlie was going to be a special player, but it became obvious when he was brought up to varsity his sophomore year and led New Trier to a state title. Three months later he received a scholarship to attend University of Illinois. Then he shoved in our face when he was the lone player to hit a home run in the area code games in California last summer. Over night, Charlie jumped from a mid-round draft pick to a top round selection.

Charlie is the kind of kid that doesn't demand praise -- when asked how he did after a contest, Charlie always mentioned the outcome of the game first, almost shying away from the hype, while still exuding confidence, mentioning his 3-for-4 day at the plate almost offhandedly. I would often catch Charlie alone at AcademyELITE hitting tees, working on his game without looking for recognition of him doing so, as so many kids do. Charlie is simply a great, hardworking kid and deserving of the reward that was bestowed upon him today by the Redbirds.

Congrats to Charlie, his mom, Margaret, and father, Joe (also Will -- his crazy and hilarious little brother). This could not have happened to a better kid and family.

Twitter @ZWMartin

Read More: mlb draft, 2011, charlie tilson, new trier, Bryce Harper (CF - WAS), St. Louis Cardinals

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GRAND CHUTE, Wis. – Marietta picked up right where Chapman left off, and unfortunately for the Panthers, it meant a 18-5 win for Marietta in a winner-take-all game for the 2011 Division III baseball championship.

Marietta won its record fifth national championship, and its first since 2006.

• Dixon: Win puts program at top of the heap
• All-time Division III baseball champions
• 2011 All-Tournament team
• Our take on the All-Tournament Team

“It’s a special day for Marietta College baseball,” said Pioneers coach Brian Brewer after the game.

After the ninth-ranked Panthers (37-13) scored both the first eight runs and the final seven in defeating Marietta in the day’s first game, the Pioneers (47-4) brought out the sticks, scoring twice in the first, seven times in the third and three times in the fourth. Austin Blaski (12-2) threw six innings of two-hit ball to help end the drama early.

With Brian Rauh (11-0, 1.74 ERA) unable to pitch after suffering an injury in Chapman’s game on Friday, the Panthers turned to Christian Maietta, who pitched a complete-game five-hitter Saturday against UW-Whitewater. And with the wind blowing out, Marietta took advantage.

Second baseman Kirby Becker opened the top of the third with a base hit and John Snyder moved him over to third on a hit-and-run. Then Saunders tripled to the wall in right-center field to drive in both runners. After an infield grounder, Saunders came in to score on a fielding error by third baseman Tyler Surnbrock.

After Kyle Tachibana replaced Maietta, the hits kept coming. Braden Park singled to center, Bryan Gregorich singled to right and Alex Toth reached on an error by shortstop Troy Newman. Jordan Grilliot reached on an error by first baseman Mark Saatzer. Becker came back around and made the second out of the inning with a sacrifice fly, scoring Gregorich. Toth moved to third on a wild pitch and came in to score on Snyder’s second hit of the inning. Saunders struck out to end the inning.

From that point, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion, but Marietta made absolutely sure by posting crooked numbers in the fourth and fifth, one in the second and two in the eighth.

It was Blaski’s second strong start of the championships, and both of them came against Chapman. Blaski threw seven innings in Saturday’s winner’s bracket game against the Panthers, allowing two runs, both unearned, walking one and striking out eight to put the Pioneers in the winner’s bracket final against Buena Vista. He went another six innings on Tuesday to lock down the national title and earn Most Outstanding Player honors in the championship.

“The first time I had some success,” said the junior, who finished the season 12-2 with a 1.62 ERA. “They hit (Brian) Gasser around in the first game so I was just trying to mainly locate and learn what he had to tell me. I just tried to locate and the early runs really helped. I just tried to pound the zone. I got a lot of early swings, balls put in play.”

Although the Pioneers had to go an extra game to win the title, it played into the team’s strength: pitching depth.

“We just felt like we had better arms, fresher arms, so we wanted to win game one of course, but we felt like the deeper we got into it, the bigger our advantage got,” Brewer said. “We stayed patient, jumped on them pretty early in game two, Austin was lights-out and we played our game in that second game.”

Contributing: Larry Radloff

D3baseball.com Player of the Year: Chad Mullins, 3B, Case Western Reserve

D3baseball.com Pitcher of the Year: Brian Gasser, Marietta

All statistics are through the end of the regular season and conference tournaments. No playoff games are included.

First team

Pitchers

Second team

Pitchers

Third team

Pitchers

Honorable mention

Pitchers

THE HOMESTEAD RANCHERS COLLEGIATE BASEBALL CLUB. 

The Homestead Ranchers begin there 2011 baseball season on June 2nd @ Bowen Park 200 W Greenwood Waukegan Il.  vs Chicago Panthers, game time 8pm. Come out and support The Homestead Ranchers and there exciting new Head Coach Chris Harang, one the youngest and brightest baseball mind in the game.

#00 Davide Harris

 5’8" 155

Lawrence College

 

www.homesteadranchers.shutterfly.com/

http://www.ncaa.com/brackets/baseball/d2/2011

From the first pitch at 9:27 am on Wednesday until 4:50 pm Sunday night, nearly 100 games were played and the result was eight teams that start fresh on May 27th.  With the first game at 10 am on Friday, the goal for these eight teams are clear - to win a national Championship.

• Championship web site
• Day one schedule

Buena Vista needed a little help to make it out of the regional but they are the fourth team from the IIAC to make the final round.  Unfortunetly history has not been kind to the IIAC teams in the finals (4-8). The Beaver's opponent on the first day are the Wisc.-Whitewater Warhawks.  UWW will bring a large fan base and expectations of being the first team to win a championship in their home state. Like Buena Vista, Wisc.-Whitewater was the recipient of an at-large bid.

Fox Cities Stadium will feel like home to the Chapman Panthers and Kean Cougars. Both teams are returning to Appleton after a years absence but have visited over the Memorial Day weekend often.  These two teams are scheduled to open the tournament Friday morning. With Chapman's Brian Rauh and Kean's Mike Russo, both top candidates for Pitcher of the Year, the first game of the tournament could very well be the best.

Marietta, winners of 18 straight, will be looking for an record setting fifth title but they will have to get past Salisbury.  The Seagulls have twelve wins in their last 13 games and like Kean lost their first regional game and had to finish the regional without a second loss. The final two teams are Keystone and Western New England. Both are making their first appearance and are their conference's first representative in the finals.

Favorite: Marietta. A number one ranking, three pitchers that would top most staffs, and a tradition of winning have the Pioneers our favorite to take home the hardware everyone wants. Most teams have a potent 1-2 combination to make it this far, but the Pioneers are flush with quality pitching. Brian Gasser, Mark Williams and Austin Blaski headline one of the best pitching staffs seen in D-III.  Marietta's team ERA of 1.71 ranks sixth best in the history of D-III and the best staff mark since Wisc.-Oshkosh posted a 1.38 ERA. Championships are built on pitching and the Pioneers are well armed.

Most Likely to Disappoint: Salisbury. We named the Seagulls our team to disappoint in the south regional and they ended up disappointing nobody, nobody except Shenandoah. Ever since Salisbury made their rookie appearance at Appleton 10 years ago, they have made winning a championship the focus of their baseball program. Salisbury leads all programs coming into Appleton in winning percentage in the 2000's (.755) and for a team that penciled their Wisconsin reservation at the beginning of the season, nothing short of a walnut and bronze trophy in their trophy case will be a disappointment.

Cinderella: Western New England. Five months ago, D3baseball.com looked at the New England regional and saw a team with a veteran line up and an experienced pitching staff and made this TCCC team our favorite to win the regional.  Fast forward to today and here are the Golden Bears. The last time a team made not only their first appearance but for any team in their conference in the Championship round was Adrian. Adrian made a serious run at the championship in their Cinderella season and Western New England could do the same

Players to Watch
SS Brad Blum, Buena Vista (.378 BA, 54 R, 20 SB)
P Luke Probasco, Buena Vista (9-3, 2.98 ERA, 3 CG, 63 K)

2B Tyler Hadzinsky, Chapman (.345 BA, 22 R, 12 SB)
P Brian Rauh, Chapman (11-0,  1 SV, 1.71, ERA, 7 CG, 132K)
P Jordon Sigman, Chapman (8-2, 2.95 EWRA, 1 CG, 55 K)

OF Ken Gregory, Kean (.410, 45 R, 20 2B, 11 HR)
P Mike Russo, Kean (10-1, 1.43 ERA, 3 CG, 61 K)

2B Esteban Meletiche, Keystone (.423, 59 R, 10 HR, 22 SB)
C Brian Henry, Keystone (.404, 9 HR, 48 RBI)

P Brian Gasser, Marietta (13-0, 1.09 ERA, 3 CG, 81K)
OF John Snyder (.460 BA, 20 2B, .681 SLG%)
P Mark Williams, Marietta (7-1, 1.67 ERA, 84 K)

OF Brian Root, Salisbury (.389, 41 R, 27 SB)
P Dustin Herbert, Salisbury (8-2, 2.08 ERA, 4 CG, 59 K)
P Chris Greiner, Salisbury (10-3, 2.61 ERA, 99 K)

DH Ryan Dudzinski, Western New England (.347 BA, 43 R, 18 SB)
Matt Rogers, Western New England (11-1, 3.31 ERA, 1 CG, 60 K)

OF Daniel Putnam, Wisc.-Whitewater (.411 BA, 59 R, 11 2B, 28 SB)
UTL Jeff Dovovan, Wisc.-Whitewater (.390 BA, 8 HR, 5o RBI, 10-0, 3.38 ERA, 72 K)
P Riley Tincher, Wisc.-Whitewater (10-3, 3.02 ERA, 5 CG, 59K)

Follow the NCAA Division II Championship games live starting 5/28

http://www.ncaa.com/brackets/baseball/d2/2011

 Tip Top Training Summer Speed & Agility Training

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(847)721-7293  or text
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Cost: Please go to www.tiptoptraining.com for group prices
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Testimonial:  "As a hitting coach, there are many times when a player hits a physical plateau. Mindee Epstein knows how to give me more player
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"Training at Tip Top this year has increased my fastball by 3mph.  I have also seen a tremendous jump in success on the field."
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SUMMER 2011...THE HOMESTEAD RANCHERS COLLEGIATE BASEBALL CLUB. 

Armed with wood bats and after a succesful 2010,The Homestead Ranchers will be part of the Chicago Suburban Baseball League will be home to close to 500 players with hopes of being a draft pick or to keep their skills sharp and enjoy their summer with shorter commuting time. The Ranchers will roster 25 players between the ages of 19-22. AcademyELITE has been working dilligently for two years to bring this franchise to a reality and we're proud to offer this unique ballclub again for 2011 to our community. 

www.homesteadranchers.shutterfly.com/

Head Coach Tim Scannell Named SCAC Coach of the Year

Coach Scannell is in his 13th season, and has amassed more than 400 wins in his career.  Early this season, he passed Trinity Hall of Famer Houston Wheeler to become Trinity's all-time leader in victories. 

With Thursday night's win over Oglethorpe to open the 2011 SCAC Tournament, the Tigers reached 30 wins for the 10th time under Coach Scannell.  Trinity held a 29-11 mark heading into the tournament, having earned a 15-5 record in conference play, winning the SCAC West Division.

This year's award is the sixth for Coach Scannell, who has also won in 1999, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010.  He is in the top 20 among all active Division III coaches in winning percentage (.697), which also puts him number one in SCAC history.

Trinity will face DePauw University on Friday night at the SCAC Tournament.  The double-elimination tournament concludes on Sunday, with the winner earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Playoffs.

ASHLAND, Ohio - Some numbers cause the eyes to blur.  There’s Cy Young’s career wins total, Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak and the reading of the radar gun when Aroldis Chapman of the Cincinnati Reds comes into a game. 

Sometimes the eyes can’t fathom the numbers behind the name of Ashland University baseball coach John Schaly either.

On Apr. 15 at Saginaw Valley State, Schaly won the 900^th game of his career. His current record is 905-462-1.  This is his 24^th year as a college baseball coach.   

Schaly is in his 14^th season at Ashland where he is 542-244-1.  At Ashland, Schaly has guided the Eagles to the NCAA playoffs 11 times, including each of the last five seasons.  The Eagles look to be in line for another postseason trip – they are currently ranked third in the region.  Under Schaly, AU has won 40 or more games in a season seven times.  With Schaly in the dugout, the Eagles have won five GLIAC championships, four regional titles and made four trips to the NCAA Division II World Series.

Ashland is Schaly’s third stop as a head coach.  He began his head coaching career at Berry (Ga.) where he started the program.  In four years there (1988-91), he was 155-91.  Schaly never won less than 35 games there and three times the school advanced to the NAIA playoffs.

Before coming to AU, Schaly spent six years as the head coach of St. Leo.  His teams won 40 or more games twice at the Florida school and at one point, the Monarchs were ranked first in the country.  His 1996 team was 42-15 and went to the NCAA Division II playoffs. That  marked the first time the Monarchs made that trip in 18 years.

At Ashland, Schaly has constructed a program that’s the envy of teams around the country. His 2002 team won a school-record 48 games.  The top 10 single-season win totals in Ashland history have been recorded by Schaly-coached teams.  Five times, Schaly has been recognized as the GLIAC coach of the year.  Under Schaly, seven Ashland players have won the GLIAC player of the year award and three hurlers have been recognized as the GLIAC pitcher of the year. Three AU players coached by Schaly have been tabbed the GLIAC freshman of the year.

Schaly’s teams have re-written the AU record book.  But the program’s strength goes beyond numbers on a page. The university has upgraded AU’s home field – Donges Field – to the point where it is a first class playing facility. This spring, a state-of-the-art press box was added.

Ashland’s program is known for the ability to teach and bring players along so they reach their full potential.  The Eagles have a junior varsity program that plays a full schedule each year.  Under Schaly, AU has expanded its recruiting and now, in addition to recruiting heavily in Ohio, has become a presence all around the country. 

Schaly’s numbers figure to keep growing.  He’s not close to retirement and there’s no talk of leaving the field to go in a different direction. Also, piling up wins is something of a family tradition.  Schaly’s late father, Don, won 1,442 games as the head coach of Marietta College, the younger Schaly’s alma mater.

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  Click Here for registration:  http://www.tiptoptraining.com/schedule1.html

Testimonial:  "As a hitting coach, there are many times when a player hits a physical plateau. Mindee Epstein knows how to give me more player
to work with. The results have been fantastic. I cannot recommend a more competent trainer for younger athletes than Mindee Epstein"
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McMinnville, Oregon - The Tiger baseball team opened the NCAA Playoffs with a 2-0 shutout over Coe College on Wednesday afternoon, with righthander Ben Klimesh striking out 12 in a six-hit shutout.

Trinity improved to 35-10 with the win, and it is the first time the Tigers have opened the NCAA Playoffs with a victory since the 2008 season. 

Ben Klimesh upped his record to 13-2 this season, which is a new Trinity record for wins in one year.  He allowed six hits and one walk in the game, and his 12 strikeouts were a new school record for a playoff game.

The Tiger offense was held to just five hits in the game, and four of those came in the third inning.  Trinity had three straight hits with two outs in the third, capped by an RBI double by Christian Muscarello that put the Tigers up 2-0.  Kevin Clements also drove in a run in the inning, which turned out to be the game-winner.

Muscarello was 2-2 with a walk, reaching base all three times he came up to the plate.  Clements was 1-4, as were Dominick Robusto and Nick Pappas.  Robusto and Pappas scored the game's only runs.

Trinity will face Whitworth University tomorrow at 7:00 p.m.  (Pacific).  Coe will take on Saint John's in an elimination game at 12:00 p.m. tomorrow.

WINONA, Minn. — All six seniors on the Carleton College baseball roster played a key role in the Knights closing the 2012 campaign with a 7-3 triumph over host Saint Mary’s University. Carleton dropped game one, 3-2, despite Nolan Baker’s (Fy./Appleton, Wis./Appleton North) three hits, including his first collegiate home run.

The opener saw the Cardinals (21-18, 10-10 MIAC) scored twice in the first inning, but Carleton got a run back in the second. SeniorErik Fabry (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) singled with one out and advanced on a double by Baker. David Stillerman (So./Evanston, Ill./Evanston) drove a sacrifice fly to left field, making it a 2-1 game.

After the early hiccup, Carleton starting pitcherAnderson Cole (So./Aspen, Colo./Aspen) settled into a rhythm and retired 12 of 13 batters from the second through the fifth innings.

With two out in the top of the sixth, Baker knotted the score with a two-out homer to left field. In the bottom of the frame, however, Saint Mary’s got a one-out double by Jon Schlemmer to plate the eventual winning run.

In the season finale, the Knights (15-22, 7-13 MIAC) wasted little time giving senior southpawPaul Dimick (Northfield, Minn./Northfield) some run support with which to work.

After game-opening single, senior Kiyota Gomi (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y./Ardsley) picked up a base hit and advanced to second on the throw.Alex Wirta (Sr./ Corte Madera, Calif./Redwood) plated the first run with a sacrifice fly, and Jeff Dsida (So./Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) drove in the other with a single.

Carleton put the game out of reach in the third. With one out Dsida tripled and immediately came home on a Fabry single. Stillerman and Patrick Philley (Sr./Gig Harbor, Wash./Charles Wright Academy) followed with back-to-back doubles. Following a lineout, Clay Parrish (Sr./Westport, Conn./Staples), who’s last at-bat was the game-winning double against Bethel last week, picked up his second hit of the contest, this one a two-run single. A double and a walk loaded the bases, and Wirta worked a walk to force home the Knights’ fifth run of the inning.

The Cardinals eventually solved Dimick for three runs, but not before the senior had put himself and his teammates in position for the win.

All told in game two, the senior class accounted for the win—Dimick’s fourth victory of the season—as well as four runs, five hits, and six RBI.

The loss put Saint Mary’s on the bubble for making the post-season, but with some help elsewhere on the season’s final day, the Cardinals earned the final spot in the conference tournament via a tiebreaker.

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San Antonio - Trinity Tiger baseball players Dominick Robusto and Ben Klimesh were chosen for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team.

The Tiger seniors led Trinity to a 2-2 record at the SCAC Tournament, earning wins over both Millsaps College and the University of Dallas.  Trinity faltered on day three, losing to eventual champion Birmingham-Southern, and dropping a rematch against Millsaps.

Trinity holds a record of 34-10 this season, and is ranked 13th in the latest D3baseball.com national poll. 

Robusto leads Trinity with a .392 batting average this season, collecting 58 hits in 148 at-bats.  He has also scored 37 runs for the Tigers, and has 27 RBI.  Robusto also leads the team with a .480 on-base percentage and 15 stolen bases in 16 attempts.

Ben Klimesh broke numerous SCAC and Trinity records during the season, including Trinity career marks for strikeouts and wins.  He also broke the SCAC record for career strikeouts, and his latest victory tied him for the most in school history for a single season (12).  Klimesh stands 12-2 with an ERA of 1.75 for the season, recording 142 strikeouts in 97.2 innings pitched.  Opponents are hitting just .192 against him this season, and he has eight complete games in his 13 starts on the year.

During the tournament, Robusto hit .438 (7-16) with two RBI and two runs scored.  Klimesh earned a complete-game victory in his only appearance in the tournament, allowing one unearned run and striking out eight batters.

Trinity is ranked No. 1 in the West Region, but will have to wait until May 13 to find out of the team will receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Playoffs.

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – One of the longest doubleheaders in the recent history of MIAC baseball ended up a split decision after Carleton College and Bethel University batted for a total of 21 innings over two days. Both games required extra innings with the Royals winning Wednesday’s game one, 4-3 in 13 innings, and Carleton senior Clay Parrish(Westport, Conn./Staples) delivering a two-out RBI double in the eighth inning to give the Knights the 9-8 win in game two, which finished on Thursday.

(Click here for a recap of game one.)

Due to the length of the opener—the longest MIAC game this season—the squads completed only three innings of game two before darkness caused play to be suspended on Wednesday evening.

Carleton had taken the early lead in the contest, asKiyota Gomi (Sr./Dobbs Ferry, N.Y./Ardsley) singled with one out in the first and scored immediately on Wirta’s double to left center.

Bethel countered with five runs in the bottom of the frame, however, Carleton responded with a five-run top of the third with a Erik Fabry (Sr./Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) bases-loaded single, a David Stillerman (So./Evanston, Ill./Evanston) RBI grounder, a pair of bases-loaded walks, and a sacrifice fly. The Royals re-gained the lead with two runs in the bottom of the frame before the umpires halted play with Bethel in front 7-6.

Fast forward approximately 20 hours and the two teams were back on the field at Hargis Park.

Missed opportunities was the storyline in game one and the teams followed the same script in game two. Carleton missed a golden chance to pick up the tying run in the fifth inning. Patrick Philley (Sr./Gig Harbor, Wash./Charles Wright Academy) singled and later stood at third bases with only one out. Instead of turning into Carleton’s seventh run of the game, he became one of 10 runners the Knights stranded in scoring position in the contest. Another Carleton scoring opportunity in the top of the sixth evaporated when a first and second, none-out situation was eliminated by an inning-ending double play.

Finally in the top of the seventh, Carleton broke through. Stillerman opened the frame with a double to left center, and Philley followed with a game-tying double down the left-field line. Two outs later Ray Yong (So./Elmhurst, Ill./York) singled home to go-ahead tally, making the score 8-7 in favor of the visitors. The Knights loaded the bases but could not cash in any insurance runs, a move that proved costly as Jesse Nickols smacked a home run in the bottom of the frame, forcing the teams into extra innings once again.

Not to be denied a win after making another bus ride, the Knights re-gained the lead in the eighth. With one out, Stillerman and Philley each collected their third hit of the contest. Kevin Johnson(So./St. Anthony, Minn./DeLaSalle) kept the inning alive by beating out a potential inning-ending double play, and that brought the pinch-hitting Parrish to the plate. On a 1-2 count, he sliced a ball just inside the first-base bag, ultimately resulting in a ground-rule double.

The Royals got the tying run aboard in the home half of the frame, but Danny Shields (So./Richfield, Minn./Academy of Holy Angels) closed out the victory by inducing a 4-6-3 double play of the bat of Matt Rowley, the MIAC’s leading hitter. He entered the week with a .442 batting average, but the Knights pitchers limited him to a 2-for-9 performance in the two games.

Shields tossed 5.0-innings of one-run ball for the win. Stillerman went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and a RBI.

Carleton hosts Central College for a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday, May 5 followed by a trip to Saint Mary’s University the following afternoon.

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AMHERST, Mass. – The Amherst College baseball team closed its regular season with a 7-2 setback to Eastern Connecticut State University on Wednesday, marking the Lord Jeffs’ only home loss of the year. 

Ranked 15th in the latest D3baseball.com/NCBWA poll, the Warriors (28-9) bumped their win streak to six games by piling on 15 hits and receiving a solid pitching performance from senior Tom Darby (W, 5-0). ECSU will wrap up its regular season this Friday by traveling to Southern Maine for a doubleheader. 

The Lord Jeffs (23-8) had their unbeaten streak snapped at four, while their home win streak in regular season play came to a halt at 15. Bob Cook ’13 went 3-for-4 and had an RBI for the hosts, with John Wagner ’12 accounting for two of Amherst’s 11 hits. 

Danny O’Connell, Steve Cammuso and Mike Vaccarelli each went 3-for-5 for the visitors, while T.J. Larivee added two hits and scored two runs with a pair of RBIs. The Warriors played solid defense in support of Darby, who allowed only one run on eight hits with four strikeouts in 7.1 innings. 

Eastern Connecticut loaded the bases in the second but would not get on the board until pushing three runs across in the third, as they strung together five singles in a span of six batters. Dylan Driscoll ’14 retired the Warriors in order in the fourth, but they got back to work when Larivee ignited a one-out rally with a double that led to two more runs and a 5-0 ECSU lead. 

After Larivee’s second RBI of the day made it a 6-0 game in the top of the sixth, the Jeffs came up inches short of their first run when Cammuso reached over the fence in left field to rob Kevin Heller ’12 of a homer. Heller hit the ball hard enough to clear the fence for what would have broken Amherst’s career home run record, but Cammuso braced himself on the fence with his right hand and made the impressive catch with his left. 

Cammuso then led off the seventh inning with a single up the middle and came around to score the Warriors’ seventh run on a groundout. Amherst chased Darby from the game in the eighth after three consecutive singles were followed by a walk, with Cook putting the Jeffs on the board by lacing a base hit back up the middle to score Ryan D'Souza '14. 

With the bases still loaded in the eighth, Pat Barnett got ECSU out of the jam by picking up a strikeout before Mike Samela '12 was thrown out at home while trying to score on a passed ball. The Jeffs made it a 7-2 game in the ninth when Brendon Hardin ’15 came home on a single to center by Alex Hero ’14, but they would close the game with runners stranded on second and third after Barnett recorded another strikeout. 

Driscoll (L, 4-1) picked up his first loss of the season by surrendering five runs on 12 hits—11 singles—in the first 4.1 innings. Amherst’s bullpen gave up only three hits the rest of the way, with Adam Medoff ’13 pitching a perfect eighth inning and Dylan Joyce ’12 retiring the side in order in the ninth. 

The Lord Jeffs will return to action Friday, May 11, when they head to Trinity College to face Bowdoin on the opening day of the NESCAC Championship.

BOX SCORE

The St. Norbert College baseball team downed Lawrence University in a pair of slugfests at Whiting Field on Sunday.

The Green Knights won the opener 14-10, and St. Norbert (19-10, 10-2 MWC) took the nightcap of the Midwest Conference doubleheader 10-8.

Travis Mason and Matt Hannon had three hits apiece in the opener for St. Norbert, and Mason drove in six runs. Nathan Schadrie pitched seven innings of relief to get the win for St. Norbert.

Davis Ogilvie and Davide Harris had three hits apiece for Lawrence. Ogilvie, also the starting pitcher, had his first career hit, his first career double and drove in his first two runs. Eric Bohling, Phil Wisniewski, Sam Kossow and Jake Gordon all had two hits for the Vikings.

Ogilvie allowed six hits over 7 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked five. Phil Clark allowed five runs without recording an out and took the loss.

Lawrence (13-18, 4-8) had built an 8-6 lead in the opener before St. Norbert struck for six runs in the eighth inning. The big blows in the inning were Mason’s two-run homer and Garrick Fisher’s solo shot.

Lawrence cut the lead to 12-9 with a run in the bottom of the eighth, but St. Norbert got two more runs in the top of the ninth to push the lead to 14-9. Harris smacked a run-scoring double in the bottom half of the inning to cut the lead to 14-10 but the Vikings could get no closer.

Jordan Powers and Hannon both had three hits in the nightcap for St. Norbert, and Jose Godinez and Alex Larsen both homered for the Green Knights.

Bohling went 3-for-5 and homered for Lawrence, and Kossow, Gordon and Tanner DeBettencourt all had two hits for the Vikings.

Lawrence built a 6-2 lead by scoring three times in the second and three more times in the third. The Vikings held that edge until St. Norbert exploded for seven runs in the sixth inning. Godinez belted a three-run homer for the Green Knights and Mason had a key two-run single in the inning.

Lawrence trimmed the lead to 9-7 in the bottom half of the inning when Bohling led off with a homer. The Vikings then trimmed the lead to 9-8 in the bottom of the eighth when Ogilvie pinch-hit and drew a bases-loaded walk from Kevin Nutley. Nutley then struck out Harris and Gabe Henriques to preserve the one-run lead.

St. Norbert added an insurance run in the top of the ninth, but Lawrence got a single from Bohling and Kossow walked to put the tying runs aboard in the bottom half of the inning. Nutley then got Gordon to ground out to end the game and pick up his second save of the season.

Nick Dagneau pitched three innings of relief to get the win. Atley Gay started for Lawrence and took the loss.

Game one box score

Game two box score

DE PERE, Wis. — The St. Norbert College baseball team picked up a Midwest Conference doubleheader sweep against Lawrence University on Saturday at Mel Nicks Field.

St. Norbert (17-10, 8-2 MWC) won the opener 24-2 and took the nightcap 6-1.

In the opener, St. Norbert pounded out 25 hits and scored in each of the first five innings. Chad Ljunggren went 4-for-5, scored three runs and drove in three for St. Norbert. Garrick Fisher and Troy Rottier had three hits apiece, and Rottier drove in four runs.

Kevin Nutley pitched five innings to pick up the win. Drew Doares lasted only 1 1/3 innings and took the loss.

Phil Wisniewski went 2-for-2 to lead Lawrence (13-16, 4-6).

In the nightcap, St. Norbert used timely hitting to build a 6-0 lead. Travis Mason, Jose Godinez and Ljunggren all had two hits for the Green Knights.

Josh Honzik went eight-plus innings to get the win. He allowed six hits, struck out 10 and walked two. Kelton Jenkins went 5 2/3 innings and took the loss.

Wisniewski again collected two hits for the Vikings.

Game one box score

Game two box score

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Amherst College baseball team wrapped up its conference schedule by completing a three-game sweep of Wesleyan University, winning Saturday’s opener by a score of 10-3 before taking the nightcap, 10-6. 

The Lord Jeffs (23-7, 10-2) clinched the top seed in the NESCAC’s West Division, while the Cardinals (18-17, 6-6) were eliminated from postseason contention. Williams College earned the No. 2 seed in the West by sweeping Hamilton in a doubleheader today.

With a 6-0 record against Williams and Wesleyan this season, Amherst ran away with the Little Three title for the second consecutive year. This is also the second time in as many seasons the Jeffs have won the NESCAC West title with a 10-2 conference record.

Amherst will take on Bowdoin College—the No. 2 seed out of the East Division—next Friday at Trinity College in the conference tournament’s opening round. Bowdoin ended Amherst’s 2011 season, but the Lord Jeffs swept the Polar Bears in a doubleheader earlier this year. 

John Wagner ’12 led Amherst at the plate by going 4-for-7 with three runs scored and five RBIs on Saturday, giving him a .500 batting average in the three-game series. Amherst capitalized on 11 Wesleyan errors today, as only six of the 18 runs it scored were earned. The Jeffs played an error-free first game before committing only one in the nightcap. 

Bob Cook ’13 improved to 5-0 on the hill by leading the Jeffs in Saturday’s opener, striking out three and allowing three earned runs on only four hits in seven innings. It was the second consecutive complete-game victory for Cook, who defeated Middlebury last weekend. 

Wesleyan took a 1-0 lead in the second inning of the opener, but Amherst tied things up in the third and broke the game open with a four-run fourth. Quinn Saunders-Kolberg ’14 led the charge with a two-RBI triple that chased starting pitcher Brett Yarusi after only three innings.

Stewart was 2-for-4 with three RBis in the opener, while Mike Samela ’12 went 2-for-3 and scored three times. Andrew Yin finished at 2-for-2 as a bright spot for the Cardinals, whose five pitchers combined to hit four batters and walk three others. 

Wesleyan held a 5-2 lead after two innings in the second game, but Wagner ignited a rally that led to two runs in the fifth and then drove in the tying run in the sixth. Wagner would also score one of Amherst’s three runs in the eighth before completing the comeback with a two-RBI double in the ninth, as he was the highlight of the Jeffs’ 10-6 win. 

Wagner finished the second game at 3-for-4, while Tyler Jacobs ’15 went 2-for-5 and scored three runs. Taiki Kasuga ’14 matched Wagner’s three RBIs, notably driving in a pair of key insurance runs with a single in the eighth. 

Adam Medoff ’13 (W, 2-0) got Amherst out of a jam by retiring the only two batters he faced in the seventh, while Dylan Joyce ’12 recorded the final six outs without surrendering a hit or walk. Fred Shepard ’14 tossed the first five innings for the Jeffs, allowing five earned runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and a walk. 

More information about the NESCAC Championship will be posted next week. The Lord Jeffs will close their regular season on Wednesday, May 2, when they host nationally-ranked Eastern Connecticut State at 4 p.m.

GAME 1 BOX SCORE

GAME 2 BOX SCORE

Millington, Tennessee - Trinity's baseball team had seven different players named to the 2012 All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference team, led by Pitcher of the Year Ben Klimesh and SCAC Coach of the Year Tim Scannell.

A total of seven Tiger players were selected to the All-SCAC Team, as voted on by the conference's head baseball coaches.

Klimesh became the first SCAC player to win back-to-back SCAC Pitcher of the Year honors since 2006 and 2007.  He led the conference in innings, strikeouts, complete games, and victories this season, adding to all of those totals with his complete-game victory in the opening game of the SCAC Tournament on Thursday.

He broke SCAC and Trinity records for single season and career strikeouts this season, and also broke Trinity's career wins mark with 30 victories.  His 12 victories this season - including Thursday's win over Millsaps - ties a school record that was set in 1974.

Joining Klimesh on the All-SCAC team was junior pitcher Ryan Lucero.  Lucero is 8-0 this season with a team-best ERA of 1.57 in 68.2 innings of work.  At the conclusion of the regular season, Lucero was second only to Klimesh in strikeouts among SCAC pitchers. 

Sophomore Christian Muscarello was the SCAC Freshman of the Year last season, and he earned All-SCAC honors once again in 2012.  Seniors Nick Pappas and Dominick Robusto also earned All-SCAC honors for the Tigers.  Pappas leads Trinity with 50 RBI this season, and was also an All-SCAC selection last year.  Robusto is hitting just under .400 to lead the Tigers.

Juniors Kelly Woodruff and Kevin Clements round out Trinity's All-SCAC honorees.  Clements is third on the team with a .359 batting average this season, while Woodruff is hitting .339 and has caught nearly every game this year.

Coach Scannell was named the Coach of the Year in the SCAC for the seventh time overall, and the third straight season.  He holds the highest winning percentage (.704) of any coach in SCAC history, and ranks in the top 15 among active Division III coaches.  Scannell led the Tigers to their first No. 1 national ranking in 2012, reaching 30 or more wins for the 11th time in his 14 seasons.

Trinity continues its SCAC Tournament action on Friday, April 27, at 3:30 p.m.  The Tigers are seeking their third consecutive conference championship.

Millington, Tennessee - Trinity's baseball team earned a 2-1 win in the opening game of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships Tournament on Thursday.

Trinity improved to 33-8 with the win, which is the ninth consecutive SCAC Tournament victory for the Tigers.  Trinity is looking to become the third team in SCAC history to win three consecutive conference titles.

Ben Klimesh (12-2) tied the school record for wins in a season, throwing a complete-game three-hitter.  Klimesh allowed one uneared run and struck out eight batters in the game.

Kevin Clements got the Tigers going early with a solo homer in the second inning.  Clements was 1-2 with a walk in the game, connecting for his third round-tripper of the season.

In the fifth, leadoff hitter Dominick Robusto put Trinity up 2-0 with an RBI single through the left side of the infield.  Robusto was 2-4 with what proved to be the game-winning RBI, which came after Millsaps stranded two runners in scoring position with no outs in the top of the inning.

The Majors finally got a run across in the eighth, taking advantage of a Trinity error to cut the lead to 2-1, but could not get anything else against Klimesh. 

Trinity will play tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. against the loser of Birmingham-Southern College and the University of Dallas.  Those two teams play at 7:00 p.m. tonight. 

A big third inning lifted the Lawrence University baseball team to a 6-4 nonconference victory over Northland College on Wednesday at Whiting Field.

The Vikings (13-14) scored all six of their runs in the third inning and have now won their last seven nonconference games.

Eric Bohling went 2-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs on his second home run of the season to lead the Vikings. Freshman outfielder Jake Gordon went 3-for-4 for Lawrence.

Sophomore John Doran worked three innings of relief to pick up his first career victory. Doran allowed four hits, struck out three and walked one. Phil Clark worked a perfect ninth to get his second save of the season.

Shane Ellias started and lasted only 2 2/3 innings. He allowed all six runs and took the loss for Northland (12-19).

Northland led 1-0 heading to the bottom of the third when Gabe Henriques started the rally with a one-out single. Bohling followed with a homer down the left field line to give the Vikings a 2-1 lead.

After Joel Birch walked and Phil Wisniewski singled, Sam Kossow singled to score Birch. Gordon laid down a bunt single, but a throwing error on the play allowed Wisniewski to score. Another error allowed Marc Linger to reach and Kossow and Gordon both scored on that play to put Lawrence up 6-2.

Northland added a single run in the sixth and two more in the seventh, but Kelton Jenkins came on in relief to shut down the rally in the seventh. Dan Taylor worked a scoreless eighth, and Clark worked a 1-2-3 ninth, including striking out the final batter to get the save.

Lawrence returns to Midwest Conference play when it travels to St. Norbert College on Saturday for a doubleheader.

Box score

Denison struck first in the second when a single up the middle byKyle Colgain scored Tim Duxbury from second base.  The Muskies quickly answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame on a double and a fielding error.  In the third, rookie Ryan Mulligandropped a two-out single into left center that drove in seniors Drew Rice and Andrew Mahle.

In Wednesday's back-and-forth battle, Muskingum regained two-run in the fourth inning.  A bases loaded walk to Will Simpson tied the game at 3-3, while a two-run single by Michael Lynn gave the Muskies a 5-3 lead.

The Big Red made it a one-run game in the fifth when senior Evan Nicholson scored on a sacrifice fly by Mahle.  However, Muskingum pushed across five runs on four hits in the bottom of the frame to build a comfortable 10-4 lead.

Rice finished with two hits, while Nicholson logged DU's only extra-base hit.  Mulligan drove in a pair, while senior Dave Holmes and Colgain represented the other two Big Red hits.  Reliever Sam Belisle suffered the loss after surrendering five runs on four hits in an inning of work.  Colten Maxwell got the win after giving up three runs (one earned) on four hits in four innings out of the pen.

Denison ends the year with a 13-26-1 record, while Muskingum improves to 16-18 overall.

Freshman Kyle Colgain tossed his first-career complete-game shutout on Tuesday evening in Granville as Denison blanked Kenyon College 7-0 in its home finale.

Colgain held the Lords' high-powered offense to just four hits in nine innings of work.  The rookie hurler struck out five of the 35 batters he face and issued just one walk en route to his second-collegiate win.

The freshman got plenty of run support from his offense.  In the second, a successful double steal with one out allowed junior Tim Duxbury to score from third and senior Justin Vaske to move up to second.  After a base hit by Dave Holmes put runners at the corners, senior David Baskin hit a ground ball to third that knocked in Vaske.

Senior Evan Nicholson led off the third with a double to right center.  After swiping third with one out, the senior stole home on a pitch in the dirt thrown by starter Brett Field.  With runners at second and third, junior Danny Kraus sent a single through the right side that plated Duxbury and Ryan Mulligan.

The Big Red tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning off reliever Alec Parker.  Holmes drove in pinch runner Georgie Montes on an infield single, while a base hit up the middle by Baskin scored Kraus.

Holmes went 3-for-4 with an RBI to pace the DU offense, while Kraus finished with two hits and two RBIs.  Nicholson and Mulligan each logged a double and scored a run, while Duxbury crossed the dish twice.

Denison improved to 13-25-1 overall, while Kenyon falls to 25-10 on the year.  The Big Red closes out the 2012 season on Wednesday at Muskingum University.  First pitch from New Concord, Ohio is slated for 4 p.m.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Carleton College gave the No. 2 team in the nation all it could handle in game one, but the Knights eventually dropped both ends of a doubleheader at the University of St. Thomas, 8-7 and 9-0. MIAC co-player of the week Jeff Dsida (So./Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) had three hits, including a game-tying triple in game one.

St. Thomas (26-4, 14-0 MIAC) clinched a playoff berth and ran its win streak to 17 games by sweeping is 13th consecutive conference doubleheader. The Tommies scored twice in the opening frame, but Anderson Cole (So./Aspen, Colo./Aspen) limited further damage by starting a 1-6-3 double play.

Carleton (12-19, 4-10 MIAC) scored three times in the third inning. David Stillerman(So./Evanston, Ill./Evanston) and Patrick Philley (Sr./Gig Harbor, Wash./Charles Wright Academy) opened the frame with back-to-back singles in front of a walk to Kevin Johnson(So./St. Anthony, Minn./DeLaSalle). All three Knights scored in the inning: one on an error, another with a wild pitch, and the last via a RBI groundout.

The Knights extended their lead to 5-2 with three more hits in the fourth. Dsida doubled and scored on a single by Nolan Baker(Fy./Appleton, Wis./Appleton North), who advanced to third on Stillerman’s second hit in as many innings. Baker then came home while St. Thomas turned a double play.

Trailing by three runs, St. Thomas scored five times in the bottom of the frame. J.D. Dorgan opened the stanza with a home run to left, and five straight two-out hits gave the Tommies a 7-5 lead.

That advantage didn’t last long, however. With two down in the fifth, Alex Wirta (Sr./ Corte Madera, Calif./Redwood) smacked his 12th double of the season, and he scored on Erik Fabry’s (Sr./Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) single. Dsida then knotted the contest at 7-7 with a triple to center field. The seven runs tied for the second-highest run total yielded by St. Thomas this season.

The Tommies got a two-out double to tally the winning run in the sixth. That was the lone run allowed in 2.1 innings of relief by Jackson Tears (So./Trabuco Canyon, Calif./JSerra).

St. Thomas led game two 2-0 when things got out of hand in the fifth inning. The Tommies scored seven times, with five of the runs coming with two out. The Knights were held in check by Bryce Gapinski who tossed a four-hit shutout.

Wirta cut down two more runners attempting to steal in game two and has now nabbed 7-of-8 would-be basestealers during conference games.

The Knights host Macalester College on Saturday, April 28. The Senior Day doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. Knights Online will broadcast both games.

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AMHERST, Mass. – The Amherst College baseball team's 20th victory of the season didn't come easily, but the Lord Jeffs did enough to come out on the winning end of a 19-14 slugfest against Springfield College Tuesday afternoon at Memorial Field.

Not even Springfield’s 12 runs in the final five innings could overtake the Lord Jeffs (20-7), who built a 12-2 lead and didn’t let up down the stretch. Amherst batted around the order in the first, third and sixth innings to remain unbeaten at home (10-0), having outscored opponents 102-32 at Memorial Field. 

Amherst’s Nolan Stewart ’13 (3-for-3) and Bob Cook ’13 (3-for-3) combined for seven runs and seven RBIs, while Mike Samela ’12 went 4-for-5 and scored four times. Cook bumped his season average to .400, but it was Stewart who provided the biggest spark with the game’s lone home run.

Springfield (18-13) snapped its six-game win streak and has now lost six in a row to Amherst. Five players recorded multiple hits for the Pride, with Sean Smith (2-for-5) and Frank Calabrese (2-for-4) driving in three runs apiece and Karl Quist going 3-for-6 with a pair of RBIs.

Dylan Driscoll ’14 picked up the win (4-0) by allowing four runs on eight hits in the first five frames. Amherst struggled defensively in the later innings, but Charles Nutter ’15 got the Jeffs out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth before pitching a perfect ninth. 

Tuesday’s game exceeded three hours thanks to 33 runs on 35 hits, five walks, six hit batsmen and eight errors. The Lord Jeffs will begin a three-game series with Wesleyan this Friday at 4 p.m. in Amherst, while Springfield will host Elms tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.

Springfield scored twice in the top of the first after RBI doubles by Calabrese and Quist, but Amherst answered with four runs in the home half of the frame and never relinquished the lead. The Lord Jeffs added six runs in the third and seemingly put the game out of reach when Stewart belted his team-leading third homer of the season to make it 12-2 after four innings.

The visitors got back on track with two runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings to bring the score to 12-6, but Cook and Stewart each had an RBI double during a four-run sixth to return the lead to double digits at 16-6. 

After each team scored twice in the seventh, Springfield took advantage of three Amherst errors in the eighth and tacked on six runs. The Pride threatened to do more damage with the bags juiced and nobody out, but Nutter entered the game and induced a fielder’s choice and a lineout before recording a big strikeout that sent the Jeffs back to their bench with an 18-14 lead intact.

John Wagner ’12 led off the bottom of the eighth with a double and came around to score Amherst’s 19th run on a single to center by Taiki Kasuga ’14. Nutter then retired the side in order in the ninth, with Wagner recording the game’s final out on a diving catch in center field. 

Eric Chase took the loss after surrendering 10 runs in the first three innings, while Tyler Benoit’s 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth marked the only inning in which Amherst did not record a hit. The Pride hit safely in every frame other than the third and ninth.

BOX SCORE

With NCAC action wrapped up, the Tigers have missed the cut for the league tournament, which takes the top two teams in each division. DePauw has clinched the West Division title and Ohio Wesleyan secured the second West slot with the series win this weekend.

The East Division will be represented by Kenyon, who have clinched the East's top seed but not the outright division title, and either Wooster or Allegheny, tied at 9-3, who will meet for a four-game weekend series next weekend at Wooster to battle for the second spot.

In Delaware, the Tigers were limited to five hits in game one, though the roster's one RBI came on a sacrifice fly by freshman Brandon Reaman (Dayton, Ohio/Northmont) in the Tigers' two-run fifth. Sophomore Cam Chambers (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) also scored on a fielding error.

Notching a hit in the game were junior Grant Goodwin (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson), junior Graham Wolff (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest), sophomore Brandon Jordan (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca), sophomore Tyler Grau (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller) and sophomore Alex Lochard (Sidney, Ohio/Sidney).

Senior Andy Sharek (Sewickley, Pa./Sewickley Academy) took the loss to fall to 2-2 on the season, allowing 10 Ohio Wesleyan hits in six innings of work.

The Tiger lineup was more productive in game two, with both Reaman and Goodwin going 3-for-4 at the plate. Freshman Zac Wilson (Eaton, Ohio/Eaton) went 2-for-4, and Jordan and senior Matt Hampp (Hilliard, Ohio/Davidson) each produced one base hit to make it a 10-hit game for the team.

Jordan's hit pushed across Grant Goodwin in the third inning, while sophomore David Moore (Tipp City, Ohio/Tippecanoe) scored in the second inning on a double play.

On the mound, freshman Stu Haley (Chicago, Ill./New Trier) took the six-inning loss, while Lochard and senior Brad Prewitt (Westerville, Ohio/South) each pitched an inning of relief.

The Tigers wrap up the 2012 campaign with back-to-back non-conference games at Heidelberg at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 25, and at home versus Ohio Northern the next day at 6 p.m.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Washington and Lee baseball team ended its 2012 regular season with a double-header split against 22nd-ranked Lynchburg College.  W&L dropped game one by a score of 5-3 then came back to post a 14-7 win in the nightcap.

In the opener, junior designated hitter Brock Shiflett went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI to lead the Hornets to the win. 

LC pushed across one run in the first inning, but the Generals knotted the score at 1-1 after sophomore third baseman Josh Josephson (Boca Raton, Fla./American Heritage) tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by junior first baseman Alex Maragos (Chicago, Ill./Loyola Academy).

The Hornets then pushed across two runs in the fifth inning after back-to-back doubles by junior shortstop Michael Kenah and Shiflett for a 3-1 lead.  A single run in the sixth upped the score to 4-1 before Josephson led off the seventh with a double and was plated on a sacrifice fly by junior catcher Luke Deary (Carlisle, Mass./Groton School).  However, a pair of ground outs ended the Generals' rally.

Shiflett singled home another run in the eighth inning and the Generals pushed across a run in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by sophomore pinch hitter Kyle Witty (Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman), but W&L could get no closer.

Josephson finished 2-for-4 with a double and a triple and two runs scored, while junior shortstopJonathan Stutts (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Country Day) was 2-for-4.  Senior left hander Pat Smith (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) was saddled with the loss (1-2) after allowing four runs on seven hits in six innings of work.  He struck out three and walked four.

Senior Robert Garrett tossed seven innings for the Hornets, improving to 6-0 on the season.  He surrendered six hits and two runs with seven strikeout and no walks.  Kenah finished 3-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored.

In the second contest, W&L (15-19, 8-10) jumped out to an 8-0 lead after two innings and cruised to the win.  Maragos got the scoring started with an RBI single to center and junior catcher Alex Mait (Chesterfield, Va./Clover Hill) knocked home two more with a double to left for a 3-0 lead after the first frame.  Mait then delivered the key hit of a five-run second inning with a two-run double to left that scored Josephson and Stutts.

The Generals' lead swelled to 10-0 before Lynchburg (30-8, 14-4) posted a rally with six runs in the fifth inning.  First-year rightfielder J.P. Nicholas delivered a two-run triple and scored on a two-run home run by senior leftfielder Richard Palase.  Kenah followed with a solo shot and another run scored on an RBI ground out.

W&L added a single run in the seventh and eighth innings and Stutts capped the scoring with a two-run home run to left centerfield.

Stutts finished game two with four hits in five at-bats with three RBI and four runs scored.  Mait finished 2-for-5 with five RBI, while Maragos was 3-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored.  Junior righthander Ian Shaw (Atlanta, Ga./Riverwood) started and allowed five earned runs on eight hits in four innings of work.  Junior lefthander Eric Wisotsky (West Windsor, N.J./Plainsboro North) relieved Shaw for three innings to improve to 1-2 on the season.  He allowed just one hit with two walks and a strikeout.

Palase and Kenah led the Hornets at the dish.  Palase was 2-of-5 with two runs batten in and Kenah went 2-for-3 with two RBI as well.  Senior Jaren Milner fell to 3-2 on the season, allowing three runs on two hits in one inning of work.

Washington and Lee will now wait to see if it qualifies for the ODAC Tournament, which will be held on April 26-29 at City Stadium in Lynchburg, Va.

BELOIT, Wis. — Atley Gay and Phil Clark combined on a five-hit shutout in the opener, and the Lawrence University baseball team split a Midwest Conference doubleheader with Beloit College on Sunday.

Lawrence (12-14, 4-4 MWC) won the opener 4-0 and Beloit (15-16, 7-5) took the nightcap 9-0. The teams split the four-game series this weekend.

In the first game, Gay allowed only four hits over 6 2/3 innings to improve to 2-0 on the season. Gay struck out three and walked three. Clark picked up his first career save by working the final 2 1/3 innings. He gave up one hit, struck out two and didn’t walk a batter.

Lawrence rapped out 12 hits in the opener, and Sam Kossow went 3-for-4 to lead the attack. Gabe Henriques, Joel Birch and Phil Wisniewski all had two hits for the Vikings.

The Vikings broke a scoreless tie in the fourth when Wisniewski singled and then scored on Kossow’s double.

Lawrence pushed the lead to 3-0 with a pair of runs in the fifth. Davide Harris got things started with a two-out single, and Henriques followed with a run-scoring double. Eric Bohling then belted another double to score Henriques for a 3-0 edge.

The Vikings added an insurance run in the ninth when Henriques walked and later scored on Birch’s single.

Andrew Edwards worked 6 2/3 innings and took the loss for Beloit.

Jim Leyhane and Al Loth combined on a shutout for Beloit in the nightcap. Leyhane allowed only three hits over five innings, and Loth tossed four innings of one-hit relief to pick up the save.

Davis Ogilvie lasted only 1 2/3 innings and took the loss.

Beloit pulled out to a 7-0 lead by scoring twice in the first, three times in the second and twice in the third.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Tags: recap

Freshman pitcher Drew Doares tossed a shutout to lead the Lawrence University baseball team to a Midwest Conference doubleheader split with Beloit College on Saturday at Whiting Field.

The Vikings (11-13, 3-3 MWC) won the opener 1-0, and Beloit (14-15, 6-4) hung on for a 4-2 win in the nightcap.

Doares was simply outstanding for Lawrence in the opener. He picked up his first career shutout and allowed only five hits. He struck out four and walked three. It was the first 1-0 shutout by a Lawrence pitcher since Aaron Leitner beat Grinnell 1-0 on March 22, 2009, but that was a seven-inning contest.

Eric Bohling paced Lawrence’s 10-hit attack by going 3-for-4 and driving in the game’s only run. Gabe Henriques and Joel Birch both went 2-for-4 for the Vikings.

Lawrence scored the game’s only run in the bottom of the first inning. Davide Harris led off the game with a double and went to third on Henriques’ groundout. Bohling followed with a run-scoring single and the Vikings led 1-0.

Beloit did not have a runner reach third base in the game, but the Bucs did threaten in the ninth after Emory Nelms had a two-out double. After a walk, Doares got Will Mack to fly out to end the game.

Alex Norman went the distance for Beloit and took the loss.

In the nightcap, the Vikings rallied late but came up short. Grant Henrickson went 8 1/3 innings to get the win, and Al Loth got the final two outs to pick up the save.

Kelton Jenkins pitched well for Lawrence and took the loss after six innings of work.

Sam Kossow, Harris and Birch all had two hits for the Vikings, and Kossow smacked his first career homer.

Beloit led 4-0 heading to the eighth, but Lawrence loaded the bases on singes from Harris, Bohling and Birch. Phil Wisniewski grounded into a fielder’s choice to score Harris and trim the lead to 4-1. Henrickson then got Jake Gordon to ground into another fielder’s choice to end the inning.

Lawrence cut the lead to 4-2 when Kossow blasted a one-out solo homer in the ninth. Loth came on in relief and got Tanner DeBettencourt to ground out for the second out of the inning. Loth then walked Harris and Henriques, but he struck out Bohling to end the game.

Lawrence wraps up the four-game series with a doubleheader at Beloit on Sunday.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Denison split a key North Coast Athletic Conference doubleheader with Wabash on Saturday afternoon in Crawfordsville, Ind.  The Big Red won the opener 12-1, but suffered a 9-0 setback in game two.

DU scored a season-high 12 runs and pounded out a season-high tying 16 hits in the game-one victory.  After two scoreless innings, senior Evan Nicholson put Denison on the board with a single through the right side that scored classmate Justin Vaske.  Senior Andrew Mahle followed with base hit bunt to third that pushed Tim Duxbury across.  Following a single byDrew Rice, Ryan Mulligan logged the fourth-straight base hit to drive in Mahle from third.

In the fourth, a Duxbury double and a single by Tyler Nicholsonscored Danny Kraus and Duxbury, respectively, to make it a five-run game.  The Big Red continued the offensive attack with a five-run fifth inning.  Three-consecutive one-out hits, including an RBI single by Kraus, forced the early departure of Little Giant starter Andrew Swart.  Kyle Clemmenson scored on a wild pitch, and a Duxbury double plated Kraus to put Denison on top 8-0.  Tyler Nicholson followed with a double down the right field line that knocked in Duxbury and Vaske.

The Big Red grabbed a commanding 12-0 lead in the sixth thanks to a sacrifice fly by Kraus and a base hit by Vaske.  John Holm broke up the shutout in the bottom of the frame with a home run off reliever Kyle Colgain.

Senior Tyler Vaske picked up the win after scattering five hits with five strikeouts in five scoreless innings.  Colgain allowed one run on one hit with one K, while Hunter Sorensen gave up two hits in the seventh.

Offensively, all 10 Big Red players that stepped up to the plate recorded a hit.  Duxbury went 3-for-4 with two doubles, three runs and two RBIs, while Evan Nicholson, Mulligan, Kraus and Tyler Nicholson each logged a pair of hits.  Tyler drove in three and stole a base, while Kraus scored twice, drove in two more and stole a bag.

Wabash's JT Miller scattered eight hits en route to a complete-game shutout in the nightcap.  The Little Giant bats did their damage early as they scored all nine runs in the first four innings, including a five-run second frame.

Evan Nicholson went 3-for-4, while David Baskin was 2-for-3 at the dish.  Connor Murphy took the loss after giving up eight runs (three earned) on eight hits in three innings.  Philip Seay allowed one run on three hits with four strikeouts over the final five frames.

Denison moves to 11-24-1 overall and 5-9 in the NCAC West, while Wabash sits at 14-21 and 5-7 in league play.  The two squads wrap up their four-game series on Sunday afternoon.  Game one of the doubleheader is slated to begin at 12 p.m.

Senior right-hander Ben Klimesh broke Trinity's career strikeout record on Saturday against Austin College.  He also broke the SCAC single season record for strikeouts. 

Klimesh is both the single season and career leader in strikeouts for both the SCAC and Tiger baseball.

MIDDLEBURY, Mass. - Middlebury plated 11 runs in big second inning on its way to a 16-6 win over the Amherst baseball team (19-7, 7-2 NESCAC) on Forbes Field. With the split yesterday, the Panthers (11-12, 5-7 NESCAC) earned their first-ever NESCAC West series victory over the Jeffs since the three-game sets began in 2001.

In the decisive second inning, Middlebury sent 15 batters to the plate with nine of them earning hits. Will Baine ’12 had a two-run triple and a two-run single in the frame, while Alex Kelly ’14, Michael Morris ’13 and Hunter Merryman ’15 each had RBI singles in the inning.

The Panthers added a run in the third before Mike Samela ’12 (Westport, Conn.) plated Bob Cook ’13 (Winnetka, Ill.) with a triple to left center in the fourth to make it a 12-1 game. Middlebury added three more in the fifth, including a two-run single from Baine to earn his fifth and sixth RBI of the afternoon.

 
Trying to keep pace, Amherst scored four runs on four hits in the sixth to make it a 15-5. Brendon Hardin ’15 (Riverside, Conn.) had a two-run double to center, while Eric West ’15 (Winnetka, Ill.) and Tyler Jacobs ’15 (Westport, Conn.) each added RBI singles, but the Panthers got one back in the sixth, before John Wagner ’12 (Evanston, Ill.) scored on Samela’s triple in the ninth to cap off the scoring.

Logan Mobley ’15 earned a win in his first career start, moving to 2-0 with five innings of work. Eddie DeArias ’15 tossed three scoreless innings before Matt Leach ’15 tossed the ninth. Baine finished 3-for-6 with a triple, two runs scored and six RBI in the game, while earning seven assists at shortstop. 

Kelly went 2-for-5 with a triple while scoring four times, while Thomas Rafferty ’13 was 2-for-3 with a double and three runs scored. Merryman also had a 2-for-3 day with three RBI while scoring twice, with Zach Roeder ’12 and Morris combining for four hits.

Fred Shepard ’14 (Amherst, Mass.) suffered his first loss of the season, allowing nine runs and 11 hits in one and two thirds innings. Cook finished 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored, while Samela went 2-for-2 with two RBI.

Amherst returns to action on Tuesday, Apr. 24 when it plays host to Springfield College.

BOX SCORE

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Kevin Heller ’12 became the Amherst College baseball program’s all-time hits leader during a doubleheader split with Middlebury College on Friday, as the Lord Jeffs won a seven-inning game (3-1) before dropping the nine-inning finale in walk-off fashion (6-5).

Heller tied Amherst’s previous hits record of 167—which had been held by Dave Powers ’05—by going 1-for-1 in Friday’s opener, and he broke it with a pinch-hit double that gave the Jeffs a 5-4 lead in the eighth inning of the nightcap. 

Heller’s go-ahead double wouldn’t stand up as the winning hit, though, as the Panthers got a run back in the bottom of the eighth before Alex Kelley capped a 7-for-9 day by delivering a walk-off single to left in the ninth. 

Amherst (19-6, 7-1 NESCAC West) had its win streak snapped at nine games but still managed to clinch a spot in the 2012 NESCAC Championship after Wesleyan’s 7-2 win over Hamilton today. Middlebury moved to 10-12 (4-7 NESCAC West) and will host the Lord Jeffs in a single game tomorrow at 11 a.m.

Middlebury took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the opener, but Amherst tied it in the third when Taiki Kasuga ’14 advanced to third base on a Heller single and scored on a wild pitch. The Jeffs took a 2-1 lead in the fifth when Alex Hero ’14 led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Kasuga. 

Amherst added a run in the sixth on an RBI infield single from Dan Pillitteri ’13, but the Panthers came back to put two runners in scoring position in the seventh. Starting pitcher Bob Cook ’13 got out of the jam and finished his complete-game effort by inducing a lineout and groundout, moving him to 4-0 on the season. 

Cook struck out five without walking a batter, scattering nine hits and keeping the Panthers scoreless in the final six innings. Hero (2-for-4) was the only Amherst player with multiple hits, while Kelly finished the game 4-for-4. Michael Joseph (L, 1-4) also tossed a complete game, allowing six hits and two earned runs with seven strikeouts.

Bob Cook '13 picked up a complete-game win in the opener.

The Lord Jeffs struck first in the nightcap when Cook walked, stole second and scored on a single by Quinn Saunders-Kolberg ’14 in the top of the second. Middlebury responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame and added another two without recording an out in the fifth, as Amherst starting pitcher John Cook ’15 was chased after walking seven batters and allowing four runs in four innings.

Middlebury carried its 4-1 lead into the eighth inning, but Heller delivered a ground-rule double with two outs to hand the lead back to Amherst at 5-4. The Lord Jeffs loaded the bases the following inning but came up empty, as Kelly wound up being the hero of the game after scoring the tying run in the bottom of the eighth and providing the winning hit in the ninth. 

Andy Dittrich (W, 3-1) maintained his 0.00 ERA by recording the final four outs for Middlebury, while starting pitcher Cooper Byrne allowed only one earned run on four hits in seven strong innings.

Cam Windham ’14 (0-1) took the loss after 1.2 innings of work, while Adam Medoff ’13 and Robert Cahill ’14 combined for three innings of shutout relief. Dylan Joyce ’12 gave up Kelly’s walk-off hit in the ninth after relieving Windham with two outs and a runner on second. 

Hero was once again the only Amherst player with multiple hits (2-for-4), while Heller’s 2-for-2 day helped him maintain the team’s highest batting average (.444) and slugging percentage (.642). Earlier this season Heller broke the school’s career records for RBIs and runs scored, and he is currently tied for the all-time home run mark (18).

HARRISONBURG, Va. -- The Washington and Lee baseball team banged out 15 hits and sophomoreJosh Josephson (Boca Raton, Fla./American Heritage) hit for the cycle in defeating Eastern Mennonite, 9-3, on Thursday afternoon at the EMU Baseball Field.

Josephson finished 4-for-5 with five RBIs and three runs scored as W&L improved to 14-19 overall and 7-9 in the ODAC with just its second road win of the season. Eastern Mennonite dropped to 11-25 and 4-12 in the ODAC.

The Generals opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Josephson laced a two-out triple to center that scored junior Will Salley (Augusta, Ga./Westside) for a 1-0 lead. Junior Alex Maragos (Chicago, Ill./Loyola) followed with a double to right that scored Josephson and gave W&L a 2-0 lead.

EMU pulled even at 2-2 in the fourth inning. The Royals scored their first run on a balk by W&L sophomore starter Nate Plein (El Cajon, Calif./St. Augustine) then knotted the score when Dylan Smith scampered home on a double steal.

In the fifth inning, W&L plated three runs to take a 5-2 lead.  Josephson again started the scoring with an RBI double. Maragos followed with an RBI triple that scored Josephson then scored himself on the play thanks to an EMU miscue in the field.

W&L scored three more runs in the sixth inning to assume a commanding 8-2 lead. Senior Alston James (Columbia, S.C./Hammond) led off with a single, took second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a balk. Salley then hit an RBI single and Josephson followed with a two-run homer to left.

B.J. Mortimer hit an RBI single in the seventh for the Royals to make it an 8-3 game and the Generals added an insurance run in the eighth on a Josephson RBI single as he completed the cycle.

Plein picked up the win for the Generals with 6.2 strong innings. He allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts. SeniorJody Davis (McLean, Va./Langley) tossed 2.1 inning of scoreless relief.

Andy Richter took the loss for the Royals, surrendering eight runs (6 ER) on 13 hits with four walks and three strikeouts in 5.0 innings as EMU committed four errors in the field.

For Josephson, the four hits and five RBIs are both career highs, as are the three runs scored. Salley finished 2-for-3 with two walks, four runs scored and an RBI. Maragos was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and junior Chris Nault (Atlanta, Ga./Riverwood) and senior C.J. Thompson (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./Nease) had a pair of base hits apiece.

Justin Rodriguez was 4-for-5 with a run for the Royals. Smith added two base hits in three at-bats.

The Generals wrap up regular-season action on Friday, traveling to Lynchburg for a doubleheader. Game one begins at 1:00 pm.

Denison suffered a 7-6 loss to Ohio Northern from Wander Field in Ada, Ohio on Thursday afternoon.

The win for the Polar Bears avenged an 11-6 loss to the Big Red on April 10 in Granville.

DU struck first, thanks to a Charlie Apfelbach RBI single in the top of the third that scored Andrew Mahle.

In the fourth, DU would add three runs after four hits and two errors by Ohio Northern.  Lowell Hall's base hit to center field scored Jeremy Tirado after he led off the inning by reaching on an error by the shortstop.  David Baskin followed with a single to right, scoring Drew Rice.

Georgie Montes kept the rally going with a single that forced the bases loaded.  With one out, Mahle's sacrifice fly scored Hall, giving DU a 4-0 lead heading to the bottom of the fourth.

In the home half of the fourth, ONU would strike back with four unearned runs after back-to-back errors by DU to open the inning put starting pitcher Kyle Colgain in a jam.  Three hits by the Polar Bears would tie the game, but Denison would respond in the fifth with a sacrifice fly by Hall, giving the lead back to DU at 5-4.

Three runs by ONU in the sixth and seventh innings put them on top by two runs.  In the ninth, DU would score its sixth run of the game and it's third via a sacrifice fly when pinch hitter Ryan Mulligan's fly ball scored Rice.

With two outs and Hall on second base, Polar Bear reliever Aaron Johnson got the final out for his first save of the season.

Rice went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and Hall was 2-for-3 with two RBI and a walk.

Josh Murphy led ONU with a single, double and a triple.

Bratcher suffered the loss for Denison in two innings of relief while the win went to Logan Schwerer. 

Denison's Joro Forman pitched the final two innings, allowing one run off three hits. Denison's record drops to 10-23-1 while Ohio Northern improves to 11-18.  Denison will return to action this weekend with a four-game series against Wabash College.

NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College offense got rolling late in game one and it carried over the momentum to game two as the Knights baseball team swept a doubleheader against Augsburg College, 9-3 and 8-2. Jeff Dsida (So./Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) had a team-high five hits on the afternoon and reached base in 7 of 8 plate appearances. The victories extended Carleton’s win streak to five games, its best run since a five-game in April 2009.

“We put together a pair of complete games,” said Carleton head coach Aaron Rushing. “We hit, we pitched, and we played defense. As a result, we managed to sweep a doubleheader against a very good Augsburg team.”

Augsburg (21-10, 7-5 MIAC) entered the day tied for second in the conference standings and jumped out to an early lead, scoring twice in the top of the first. Meanwhile Carleton’s bats had trouble getting going against an Auggie pitching staff that entered the day with a combined 3.63 ERA.

The Knights (12-15, 4-6 MIAC) scratched out their first run of the contest in the third asPatrick Philley (Sr./Gig Harbor, Wash./Charles Wright Academy) singled and later scored when Ray Yong (So./Elmhurst, Ill./York) beat out a potential double-play grounder.

Carleton tallied the tying run an inning later.Alex Wirta (Sr./ Corte Madera, Calif./Redwood) double down the right-field line, advanced to third on Nolan Baker’s(Fy./Appleton, Wis./Appleton North) single, and trotted home on David Stillerman’s(So./Evanston, Ill./Evanston) deep fly ball to centerfield.

In the fifth, Augsburg strung together three straight singles against Carleton starterAnderson Cole (So./Aspen, Colo./Aspen) to re-gain the lead at 3-2. The Knight offense erupted in the bottom of the stanza for five runs. A Wirta sacrifice fly was followed by RBI singles by Dsida and Baker. Stillerman capped the scoring with a two-run triple off the centerfield wall. For good measure Carleton tacked on two addtional runs in the sixth inning.

Cole improved to 3-2 on the season after tossing 5.0 innings and yielding the three runs.Jackson Tears (So./Trabuco Canyon, Calif./JSerra) worked 2.0 scoreless frames of 1-hit ball to close it out for the hosts. The loss snapped Augsburg’s six-game win streak.

Carleton wasted little time seizing the lead in game two. The Knights sent 12 batters to the plate in what became a six-run first inning. Dsida contributed a two-run single, Yong drove home another with a base hit to right field, and bases-loaded walks to Erik Fabry (Sr./Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview), Philley, and Jacob Rice (Jr./North Oaks, Minn./St. Paul Academy) forced in the other three runs.

The Knights would add two more tallies in the fourth when Dsida chased home Fabry with a two-out triple to right, then waltzed home on a Baker base hit.

“Jeff (Dsida) had been in a bit of a slump, so it was fantastic to see him break out in a big way with the five hits today,” Rushing said.

That was plenty of run support for lefthanderPaul Dimick (Sr./Northfield, Minn./Northfield), who tossed his sixth career complete game. He scattered seven hits and three walks, permitting just two runs.

“It was nice to come from behind and get the first game. Then to jump out to a big lead right away in game two was huge,” said Rushing.

Dsida finished the day with four RBI and three runs scored, while Yong collected four hits, three runs scored, and two RBI.

Carleton has now scored 34 runs in its last three games. Today’s outburst raised the Augsburg staff ERA nearly a half-run to 4.01. Meanwhile the Carleton pitchers have yielded only 20 runs over their last eight contests and have lowered their earned run average to 3.99 for the season.

The Knights are back in the playoff hunt and will look to keep the win streak going when they travel across the Cannon River to take on rival St. Olaf College this Saturday, April 21.

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NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Henry Rownd(Jr./Rochester, Minn./Lourdes) turned in the best outing of his collegiate career, and the offense came alive in game two as the Carleton College baseball team swept Crown College, 5-0 and 17-4.

Rownd fanned a career-high eight batters and recorded his first shutout, scattering seven hits without issuing a walk. It was the second shutout by a Carleton hurler in a week, and Rownd’s eight punchouts were the most by a Knight since Alex Wirta fanned the same number against Saint Mary's University on April 11, 2009.

Rownd struck out five of the first 10 batters he faced, matching his previous best set last season. He twice worked out of two-out jams to preserved the shutout.

The Carleton (10-15) offense was held hitless until the bottom of the fourth when the Knights plated all five runs. Alex Wirta (Sr./ Corte Madera, Calif./Redwood) drew a leadoff walk and stole second. Erik Fabry (Sr./Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) also walked with ball four rolling all the way to the backstop. Fabry sprinted out the batter’s box and didn’t let up, racing toward second base on the play. When the Storm defense tried to throw for him, Wirta broke for the plate, sliding in safely for the inning’s first run.

Nolan Baker (Fy./Appleton, Wis./Appleton North) became the third straight Knight to walk, and Kiyota Gomi (Sr./Dobbs Ferry, N.Y./Ardsley) loaded the bases with a bunt single, Carleton’s first hit of the afternoon.

After a fielder’s choice cut down Fabry, Jacob Rice (Jr./North Oaks, Minn./St. Paul Academy) successfully converted the squeeze play to make it 2-0 in favor of the home team. Clay Parrish (Sr./Westport, Conn./Staples) followed with a two-run single to left and advanced to third on a wild throw to the plate. He scored moments later on a wild pitch. All told, the Knights pushed across five runs on their only three hits of the contest.

That was more than enough run support for Rownd, who had worked more than 2.0 innings only one other time this season.

While the offense did just enough in the opener, the bats came alive in game two. The 17 runs in the nightcap not only marked a season best for the Knights, but it was their largest outburst since the 2008 season finale, a 25-5 triumph over Minnesota-Morris.

Carleton actually trailed 3-2 in today’s contest, but the Knights scored five times in each the third, fourth, and fifth frames to blow the game wide open.

Six players had multi-hit affairs in the contest.Ray Yong (So./Elmhurst, Ill./York) went 3-for-5 with four RBI from the top spot in the lineup;David Stillerman (So./Evanston, Ill./Evanston) added a 2-for-3 performance, scored four times, and drove in three runs; andPatrick Philley (Sr./Gig Harbor, Wash./Charles Wright Academy) collected a season-best three hits to go along with three RBI. Wirta, Fabry, and Parrish contributed two hits apiece.

Reliever Jackson Tears (So./Trabuco Canyon, Calif./JSerra) was the beneficiary of the offensive explosion, improving to 2-0 this season.

Carleton will have a modest three-game win streak on the line vs. Augsburg College on Wednesday, April 18. Weather permitting Knights Online will again feature live video streaming of both games. First pitch is slated for 2:30 p.m.

Denison split a key North Coast Athletic Conference doubleheader with rival Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday.  DU took the opener 5-1, but dropped game two 7-3.

The Big Red won game one behind a strong performance on the hill from senior Tyler Vaske.  Vaske tossed a complete-game five-hit shutout en route to his first victory of the season.  He surrendered just one earned run and struck out seven batters over the seven frames.

After the Bishops took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on a Nathan Strome sacrifice fly to right, the Denison offense gave Vaske all the run support he needed.  A two-base error to start the bottom of the frame came back to bite OWU.  Freshman Ryan Mulligan knocked in Charlie Apfelbach with a single to left field.  After Evan Nicholson drew a free pass, junior Danny Kraus drove in the game-winning run with a base hit to right center.

Nicholson added an insurance run when a fielding error by the catcher allowed the senior to score on a double steal attempt.  Rookie Kyle Colgaintacked on the fourth run of the inning with a base hit to right center that scored Kraus.  Denison plated another run in the fifth when a sacrifice bunt by Tim Duxbury scored senior Andrew Mahle from third base.

Mulligan went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI in the opener, while Kraus and Colgain each posted RBI singles.

DU scored a run in the third and fourth innings to take a 2-0 lead in the nightcap.  Senior Justin Vaske crossed the dish in the third on a ground out by Apfelbach, while senior Drew Rice sent a base hit through the left side that scored Duxbury.

Despite the early lead, the Battling Bishops answered with a run in the sixth, and three more in the seventh and eighth frames to grab a 7-2 lead.  Vaske scored on a wild pitch to close the gap to four, but it was too little too late as OWU held on for the split.

Rice finished 2-for-3, while Nicholson and senior David Baskin posted a double and a triple, respectively.  Sophomore Connor Murphy suffered the loss after allowing four runs on 10 hits with five strikeouts in seven innings of work.

Both Denison (10-20-1) and Ohio Wesleyan (16-13) move into a three-way tie with Wabash for second place in the NCAC West Division.  All three squads are 4-6 in division play.  The Big Red looks to close out its four-game series with OWU on Monday.  Game one of the doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.

Note: Prior to game one of today's doubleheader Denison recognized seniors David Baskin, Kevin Bratcher, McCavitt Carter, Joro Forman, Chris Fries, Dave Holmes, Andrew Mahle, Evan Nicholson, Tyler Nicholson, Drew Rice, Hunter Sorensen, Justin Vaske and Tyler Vaske.