What was on the schedule as elimination day in the regional playoffs, three Regionals were just getting underway. The Mideast, Central and West Regionals were washed out on the first day and all three got a full slate of games in as the rain stayed away.
The games got underway on Thursday with a morning shocker, as sixth-seeded Rose-Hulman got a stellar pitching performance from Derek Eitel and
rolled past top-seeded Heidelberg 12-2. Eitel scattered six hits and two walks while striking out six, allowing just one run to a fourth-ranked Heidelberg team that entered the game hitting .355.
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There were other outstanding pitching performances turned in on the second day of playoff action. Cal Lutheran southpaw Greg Gelber took a no-hitter through six innings and defeated George Fox, the highest-hitting team in the country, 2-1. In the South Regional, it was freshman right-hander Dave Trushel who stayed undefeated on the mound for Washington & Jefferson after allowing only three hits during an 8-3 victory over Washington and Lee. Will Musson pitched a complete-game seven-hitter with a career-high 13 strikeouts to lead
Eastern Connecticut past Suffolk, 13-2.
It was not all pitching as some teams brought out their bats. WPI blew open a tight game by batting around in consecutive innings and scoring 11 runs in
winning its second game against no losses with a 15-5 rout of Babson. Motivated by a rare underdog label, Chapman exploded for six runs in the second and led 14-1 after four innings on its way to a 16-2 win over Texas-Tyler. The New York Regional featured a slug fest with both teams as tournament host,
Farmingdale State defeated Clarkson, 19-10 in a game that featured 28 hits and 17 walks combined.
In other regional action: Husson College scored six runs in the seventh inning on three hits and five Westfield State errors to wipe out a one-run deficit and
record a 10-3 victory in an elimination game in the New England Regional. The late game featuring Trinity (Conn.) and Southern Maine was pushed to Friday as the rain that fell during the Husson/Westfield State game continued.
In a game between New York regional powerhouses, top-seeded
Cortland stayed alive as they defeated Ithaca 3-2, eliminating the Bombers from the double-elimination Regional. Ithaca had a 2-1 lead going into the the bottom of the eighth when Cortland started its game-winning rally. With two outs, A wild pitch allowed Kevin Jackson to score the tying run to score. One batter later, Alex Coffey’s bunt single drove in the go-ahead run.
In dramatic fashion, Kean scored four runs in the final two innings to erase a 5-3 deficit and
defeat New Jersey, 7-5. The top-seeded Cougars won their 10th straight regional game dating back to 2007 and advanced in the winners bracket to face Keystone. Seth Shultz had a two-run home run in the fourth inning as Penn State Berks defeated Penn State Behrend, 8-5, in one of two elimination games at the Mid-Atlantic Regional. In the other, Chuck Nicholas allowed just one run through eight innings and Alvernia pounded out 12 hits en-route to a 10-1 win over Montclair State. Eric Groff went 4-for-5 with four runs scored and Ryan Smyth hit a grand slam as Keystone earned a spot in the winners bracket final with a 10-8 win over Elizabethtown.
Johns Hopkins avenged its loss in the first round with a 14-2 win over N.C. Wesleyan. The Blue Jays used a six-run first inning to gain an early lead and take controlof the game. Salisbury, the host team dropped a 5-4 heartbreaker in 10 innings to Christopher Newport. Facing Chritopher Newport in the winners bracket final is Shenandoah. The Hornets made it two wins in two days with an 11-2 blowout victory over York.
Marietta and Wooster posted wins and will face each other in the second round. Wooster advanced as they defeated Concordia-Chicago by the final score of 5-1 . Matt Groezinger blasted a three-run, home run in the bottom of the first inning to give Wooster an early 3-0 lead and the Scots' went on to defeat Concordia-Chicago by the final score of 5-1. Marietta got to starter Ryan Domschot early, chasing him in the third, to take a 14-3 decision in the Mideast Regional on Adrians home field.
Carthage built a 8-2 lead in the fifth and held on for an 8-7 win over Fontbonne as the Griffins' ninth inning rally fell short. Millsaps showed little rust from a 20-day layoff as they scored three runs in their opening at-bat and relied on their defense to hold on for a
5-3 win over Wartburg.
UW-Whitewater took advantage of Washington miscues to come back in the bottom of the ninth and beat the Bears 3-2
After three straight extra-inning games, the Midwest Regional finally got a game completed in the regulation nine innings. UW-Stevens Point sent Beloit home with its second loss in the regional. St. Olaf rattled off eight unanswered runs in the final five innings to come from behind and
register an 8-4 win over St. Norbert. St. Thomas rallied with seven runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to remain perfect in the Midwest Regional, beating St. Scholastica 8-4.
As the West regional got underway at Linfield, Pomona-Pitzer knocked off Hendrix 8-3. The Sagehens will face George Fox, a day one loser to Cal Lutheran and the Kingmen will take their 1-0 record against Chapman.