By Pat Coleman
D3sports.com

GRAND CHUTE, Wis. -- In order to get to the championship game of a double-elimination, eight-team tournament, a team needs, among other things, strong pitching performances.

And unless a team comes into Appleton with three healthy aces, that means at least one pitching performance can be deemed an unlikely one.

Sunday night's winner's bracket final delivered not one, but two such pitchers.

Matt DeGrand, the No. 4 starter for Wooster, hadn't started a game since April 23, hadn't thrown six innings since April 5 and had only two seven-inning appearances all season.

And Dan Leslie, who got the call for St. Thomas, had pitched in just one game all season. It was a big one, a complete-game victory against St. Olaf in the Midwest Regional clincher, but otherwise, Leslie has been the Tommies' third baseman.

DeGrand, a junior right-hander, is a standout outside linebacker for the Scots football team as well, and was the runner up for the North Coast Athletic Conference player of the year. While playing outside linebacker isn't exactly playing out on an island like a cornerback usually does, pitching is an island all of its own, and DeGrand credited his football experience with helping him focus Sunday night.

"I think it's just the fact that I have to dig deep," DeGrand said, "and football helps me with that because it's the mentality of fourth-and-short or third-and-long. You have to find the drive within yourself to make the next play."

DeGrand did not walk a batter and retired 15 in a row after Matt Olson's first-inning double, improving to 7-2 and lowering his ERA nearly half a run to 4.48.

"Matt just pitched tremendously," Wooster coach Tim Pettorini said. "He was throwing three pitches for strikes and really controlling the strike zone. You have to against them. He kept them off-balance and really pitched a phenomenal game."

For the Tommies, Leslie (1-1) got the call as a matter of necessity. No. 2 starter Brandon Stone has been out with an injury.

"I always knew he had the athletic ability so he came back in regions and he wanted the ball," said St. Thomas coach Dennis Denning. "He's a gamer. I thought he'd maybe go three, four innings and actually just boom, he walked through nine innings and was really efficient."

But after working on two years' rest, Leslie had just six days to bounce back for start No. 2, and he struggled at times, retiring the side in order just once in his seven innings. He allowed 11 baserunners.

"I knew that he probably wouldn't have his great stuff today. We sort of gave them two runs. If we'd played well they wouldn't have the first run and if we were smart and pitched around the guy like we wanted, we'd have only given up one run."

Leslie was the Tommies' best pitcher as a freshman and a member of the All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team in 2006 as a pitcher, but hadn't made a start since May 17, 2007, until his regional win.

"I told him I'd let him pitch again when I saw him throwing the ball across the infield like he did when he was a freshman," Denning said.

"My arm's been feeling a little better lately," Leslie said, "so I told coach I could throw. It's been feeling good, trying to get ground balls."

Leslie didn't come back as the same pitcher he used to be, pitching more to contact, trying to get batters to put the ball in play, let his fastball's movement do the work.

DeGrand's performance was easily his best of the season, and it came after a lot of work. In his previous three starts, he'd compiled a 10.32 ERA.

"I had some down time and I was working with (pitching) coach (Tim) Bricker and we just stuck with it. ... A lot picking up the zone more and spotting more my fastball," DeGrand explained. "When I first started here I was just primarily a fastball pitcher. And I kind of got away with that by picking up more so I lost my focus so I went back to just spotting my fastballs again and then on down the line. I just kept growing with that and long tossing, maintaining strength was key for me because it showed and running was huge."

And Bricker didn't steer him wrong.

"I'll be the first one to say I don't always agree with what Bricker will call but this game he's like, 'just trust me here, just trust me this game and you'll be so happy with the outcome.'

"I didn't shake him off once, and it worked."