Harwich, Mass. – Senior RHP Tim Kiely (Swampscott, Mass.) struck out a career high 12 batters without allowing a walk in a complete game performance to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 7-2 win over the Western New England College Golden Bears in a winner's bracket game in the NCAA Division III Regional Championship Tournament at Whitehouse Field. The Bantams, ranked No. 2 in the nation, extend the best-ever start in NCAA Division III to 39 games and will play the winner of tonight's winner's bracket game between Wheaton College and Keene State College. The Bantams move within one win of tying the all-time Division III record of wins in a row, currently held by Marietta College.

Trinity got the scoring started on a two-out RBI single in the third by senior SS Thomas DeBenedetto (Fort Myers, Fla.) that scoresd junior tri-captain C Sean Killeen (Greenfield, Mass.). In the bottom of the fourth, the Bantams got in some trouble when WNEC junior OF Mike Beck (Whitesboro, N.Y.) reached on a single and made his way to third with just one out. The Golden Bears attempted a suicide squeeze, but sophomore catcher Jon Dominik (West Springfield, Mass.) missed the bunt and Kiely applied the tag.

Kiely and Golden Bear left starter Chris Anderson (Moodus, Conn.), kept the bats quiet until the fifth, when the Bantams loaded the bases and scored two runs on a DiBenedetto RBI groundout and a sharp single by senior DH Matt Stafford (Plymouth, Mass.). Western New England put up two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning on a two-run, bad-bounce single off the lip of the infield by senior 1B Travis Schwamb (West Springfield, Mass.), his third opposite field hit of the game. With the score, 3-2, in Trinity’s favor, the Bantams added some insurance in the sixth with a two-out, RBI single off the bat of Killeen. Kiely got stronger as the game wore on, and the Bantams added to their lead, which was capped off with a three-run ninth. Killeen led off the inning with a double and sophomore 1B Ken Graham (LOngmeadow, Mass.) belted a two-run blast.

Junior 2B Ryan Piacentini (Portland, Maine), Kiely, and DiBenedetto made strong defensive plays for the Bantams, but a diving catch by a fully extended senior OF Chandler Barnard (Lubbock, Texas) down the left field line in the fifth came at a crucial time after the Golden Bears put two on the board and were threatening for more. Kiely, who struck out five of the last seven batters he faced, improves to 11-0 on the season. Anderson, who struck out seven batters in eight innings of work, falls to 4-4. Killeen finished the game with two hits, three runs, and an RBI. Beck recorded two hits for the Golden Bears.