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Montclair State’s 7-6 Win Knocks Ithaca Out Of NCAA Baseball Playoffs
May 16, 2008
Press Release posted by Ithaca Permalink
The fourth-seeded Montclair State Red Hawks (28-19) beat the second-seeded Ithaca Bombers (30-13) 7-6 in Friday’s game of the NCAA Division III baseball regional tournament hosted by Ithaca College at Auburn’s Falcon Park. The Red Hawks advance to play either fifth-seeded Eastern Connecticut or seventh-seeded Ohio Wesleyan Friday at 7:45 p.m. in an elimination game. The Bombers were eliminated from the playoffs.
Junior left fielder Ed Kloepping led off the top of the ninth with a triple off the right-center field wall and scored the winning run a batter later on junior third baseman Steve Piscitello’s sacrifice fly. The Bombers put the tying run on base in the bottom of the inning on a one-out single by senior designated hitter Shane Wolf, but junior Michael Vitale came in from the Montclair State bullpen and retired the next two Ithaca batters for the save.
Senior catcher Jeff Miller singled four times for Montclair State, including a run-scoring hit in the Red Hawks’ three-run second. He scored the inning’s final run on a passed ball. Rob Bowness added a sacrifice fly.
The teams combined for six first-inning runs: center fielder senior center fielder Michael Nunes scored on a bases-loaded balk (he scored two more runs in the game) and senior first baseman Lou Politan added a run-scoring ground out in the Montclair State half of the inning. Ithaca responded with four runs, sparked by a two-run double by senior shortstop Josh Smith. Smith scored on a wild pitch and the Bombers picked up a run on a Red Hawk error.
The Red Hawks extended their lead to 6-4 in the fourth on a single by Miller. Nunes went from first to third on the hit and scored when Miller was tagged out in a rundown between first and second.
Wolf and Smith drew bases-loaded walks in the bottom of the fourth to tie the score.
The Bombers put runners on in the seventh and eighth but Montclair State used a seventh-inning pickoff and an eighth-inning double play to escape.
Sophomore second baseman Andrew Himmelfarb went 3-for-3 for Montclair State.
Junior left fielder Ed Kloepping led off the top of the ninth with a triple off the right-center field wall and scored the winning run a batter later on junior third baseman Steve Piscitello’s sacrifice fly. The Bombers put the tying run on base in the bottom of the inning on a one-out single by senior designated hitter Shane Wolf, but junior Michael Vitale came in from the Montclair State bullpen and retired the next two Ithaca batters for the save.
Senior catcher Jeff Miller singled four times for Montclair State, including a run-scoring hit in the Red Hawks’ three-run second. He scored the inning’s final run on a passed ball. Rob Bowness added a sacrifice fly.
The teams combined for six first-inning runs: center fielder senior center fielder Michael Nunes scored on a bases-loaded balk (he scored two more runs in the game) and senior first baseman Lou Politan added a run-scoring ground out in the Montclair State half of the inning. Ithaca responded with four runs, sparked by a two-run double by senior shortstop Josh Smith. Smith scored on a wild pitch and the Bombers picked up a run on a Red Hawk error.
The Red Hawks extended their lead to 6-4 in the fourth on a single by Miller. Nunes went from first to third on the hit and scored when Miller was tagged out in a rundown between first and second.
Wolf and Smith drew bases-loaded walks in the bottom of the fourth to tie the score.
The Bombers put runners on in the seventh and eighth but Montclair State used a seventh-inning pickoff and an eighth-inning double play to escape.
Sophomore second baseman Andrew Himmelfarb went 3-for-3 for Montclair State.