FROM CBB NEWS SOURCES
Mount Olive 6 Ouachita Baptist 5
SAUGET, ILL. – Top-ranked Mount Olive used four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to rally from a 5-2 deficit against No. 4 ranked Ouachita Baptist en route to a 6-5 victory in a first round game that began Sunday night and concluded Monday morning at GCS Ballpark.
The Trojans improve to 55-6 and advance to play the winner of the Ashland and Tampa game Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., while Ouachita Baptist, playing in its first World Series, falls to 47-15, and will play the loser of that game Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. in an elimination game.
Mount Olive’s Josh Harrison singled down the right field line with one out and the bases loaded, scoring pinch runner Mike Kicia for the game winner.
“First of all, I’d like to congratulate our kids on battling,” said Mount Olive head coach Carl Lancaster. “They just beat a really great ball team. I’m proud of our guys for coming out and not giving up and battling.”
Jerry Helferich (6-5) took the loss for Ouachita Baptist, allowing four runs on three hits. He walked four and struck out two in two innings of work.
Mount Olive had jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning, but saw Ouachita Baptist score single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to the tie the game at 2-2. Then following a 73-minute weather delay Sunday night, the Tigers went up 4-2 on a walk and a wild pitch. After spending 11 minutes on the field following that delay, the game was officially suspended in the bottom of the seventh inning until Monday morning.
The Tigers tacked on one more run in the eighth before Mount Olive’s rally.
“Mount Olive hung in there and battled,” said Ouachita Baptist head coach Scott Norwood. “It was a long, drawn out game over two days. We just didn’t hold on. Someone has to come through the loser’s bracket and I plan on it being us.”
Patrick Ball (3-1) garnered the win for the Trojans in one and two-thirds innings.
Mount Olive collected 11 hits in the victory with Harrison, Jesse Lancaster, Alex Vertcnik and Dylan Holton recording two each. Jason Sherrer notched two RBIs on a single to left center in the ninth.
Destan Makonnen paced the Ouachita Baptist with two hits, an RBI and a run scored. The Tigers finished with eight hits.
Ashland (OH) 6 Tampa 5
SAUGET, ILL. – David Quirog’s homerun over the right field fence in the seventh inning lifted No. 16 ranked Ashland to a 6-5 victory over No. 3 ranked and two-time defending national champion Tampa in a first round game in the NCAA Division II Championships Monday afternoon at GCS Ballpark.
The game was originally scheduled to be played 18 hours earlier, but Sunday night rain storms forced the game to be moved.
The Eagles used four unanswered runs, including Quirog’s blast, to rally from a 5-2 deficit in the fourth inning. The win moves Ashland to 40-16 on the season, while Tampa falls to 42-10-1. Ashland advances to play No. 1 ranked Mount Olive on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., while Tampa will play Ouachita Baptist Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. in an elimination game.
“It was a great ballgame from our standpoint,” said Ashland head coach John Schaly. “Jeremy Sloan (pitcher) came in from the bullpen and shut them down. We also got big hits when we needed to. We beat a great team and it’s a big win for our program.”
Tampa held a 5-2 lead after two-run home runs by Steven Broschofsky and Junior Meja, in the fourth inning before the Eagles came roaring back.
Despite the loss, the Spartans out-hit Ashland, 14-11, with Jesus Barroso going 3-for-5 at the plate.
The Eagles were led by Jeff Yates, who batted 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Jeremy Sloan collected the win for Ashland, pitching three innings in relief. He scattered just three hits and struck out three. Todd Schlenkerman garnered his second save of the season, working two and one-third innings.
“Sloan’s slider was real sharp today,” said Tampa head coach Joe Urso. “He threw fastballs on the outer part of the plate and that’s what we were getting called out on.”
Danny Keefe took the loss for Tampa, allowing two runs on three hits in one and two-thirds innings.
Shippensburg 9 Franklin Pierce 2
SAUGET, Ill. (May 26, 2008) – Shippensburg University, ranked 21st in this week’s Collegiate Baseball magazine Division II poll, stayed alive at the 2008 NCAA Division II Baseball Championships and eliminated No. 14/15 Franklin Pierce University with a 9-2 victory in game five of the championships, hosted by Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, the University of Missouri-Saint Louis, the Gateway Grizzlies Baseball Club and the Village of Sauget, at GCS Ballpark this evening.
Shippensburg (39-25) will face the loser of tonight’s game between #7/11 University of Central Missouri (46-15) and No. 2/4 Sonoma State University (51-13) on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. (EST). Franklin Pierce, Northeast Region champions for the third-straight year and NE-10 Tournament winners two-straight years, wraps up its season with a 43-15 record overall, 20-10 in the NE-10.
“Obviously we didn’t do as well as we would have like to out here,” said Franklin Pierce Head Coach Jayson King. “We’ve been fortunate enough to be here three times (in a row), but we’re trying to get to the next level and it just didn’t happen for us this year.”
Shippensburg rode the left arm of junior Matt Wright (McClure, Pa.), who scattered five hits while striking out 15 for the complete-game win (9-4). He allowed the two earned runs and walked four. Wright settled down to allow just one hit after the third inning, retiring 13-straight batters after a two out walk in the fourth before Franklin Pierce drew a leadoff walk in the ninth. He also struck out 8 of 13 Raven batters from the fourth through seventh innings and collected a strikeout in every inning, striking out the side twice.
“Early in the game they were hitting my breaking ball pretty well,” said Wright. “Later in the game coach kept calling fastballs and it got me through.”
Junior Tyler Redick (Fairfield, Pa.) paced the Raiders ten-hit attack, finishing 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBI. Sophomore Kevin Scholly (State College, Pa.) was 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, a double and three runs scored, while junior Kasey Kuhns (Three Springs, Pa.) hit 2-for-3 with two RBI.
“The guys played well tonight and Matt had a tremendous effort,” said Shippensburg Head Coach Matt Jones. “We’re happy to still be here and to get the University’s first ever win at the World Series and stick around a little longer.”
Sonoma State 6 Central Missouri State 5 (19 innings)
SAUGET, ILL. – Sonoma State’s Kevin Asselin produced the game-winning RBI in the 19th inning in his first career at-bat, scoring Konrad Thieme from third and helping No. 2 ranked Sonoma State to a 6-5 victory over No. 7 ranked Central Missouri in a second round game of the NCAA Division II National Championships Monday night at GCS Ballpark.
Asselin’s heroics came in a game that lasted six hours and 45 minutes. The senior also collected the win on the mound, improving to 9-2 on the season.
The win moves Sonoma State’s ledger to 52-13, while Central Missouri falls to 46-17. The Seawolves will play in the national semifinals on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. against an opponent yet to be determined, while the Mules will face Shippensburg in an elimination game on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
A solo home run by Sonoma State’s Dave Herman in the top of the 18th inning broke a 4-4 tie that stretched nine innings of play, but Central Missouri would counter with a run of its own in the bottom of that inning to continue the game. A fielding error by Asselin on a sacrifice bunt by Clay Weatherford sent pinch runner Jon Wegener home from third to knot the game at 5-5.
Nick Phillips (5-2) took the loss for the Mules, working two innings. Chris Matlock recorded 13 strikeouts on the mound for Central Missouri, pitching nine and one-third innings in relief.
The Seawolves scored two quick runs in the first inning before plating single runs in the third and fourth innings for a 4-0 advantage. However, the Mules would storm back in the sixth inning, scoring three runs on three hits and two errors by the Seawolves.
Weatherford then singled to second base in the eighth inning with two outs, sending Mike Hallam home from third to knot the game at 4-4.
Both teams combined for 32 hits and stranded 34 runners.
Ian Bridges went 4-for-8 with two runs scored and two RBIs for Sonoma State, while Weatherford finished 3-for-7 with two RBIs.
