Baseball

Category: Baseball

Teams coming from coast to coast to compete for NCAA Division III Baseball Championship

APPLETON, Wis. — Teams are coming from coast to coast to compete for the 2013 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.

Eight college baseball teams from Maine to Oregon will arrive at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium later this week to play in the double-elimination tournament. The 38th edition of the championship begins Friday, May 24, and runs through Tuesday, May 28. This marks the 14th consecutive year the finals will be contested in Appleton.

Three former national champions are in the field and three of them represent the East Coast.

The University of Southern Maine (42-8), which won the national title in 1991 and 1997, is making its seventh trip to the finals and its first since back-to-back appearances in 2000 and 2001. The Huskies reached the finals with a 9-0 victory over Endicott College (Mass.) in the Harwich, Mass., Regional final.

Another East Coast squad, Kean University (N.J.), is making its sixth appearance in the finals and third consecutive trip to Appleton. The Cougars have made all of those appearances in the last seven years, starting with 2007, the year Kean (38-11) won its national title. The Cougars punched their ticket to Appleton with a 6-1 victory over Keystone College (Pa.) in the Moosic, Pa., Regional final.

The other former national champion in the field is Ithaca College (N.Y.), which won titles in 1980 and 1988. This is Ithaca’s 12th trip to the finals but its first since 1994. Ithaca (38-6) earned its berth in the finals with a 4-2 victory over the State University of New York-Cortland in the Auburn, N.Y., Regional championship game.

From the West Coast, Linfield College (Ore.) is making its third appearance in the finals. The No. 1-ranked Wildcats (38-7) return to Appleton for the first time since 2010 and earned their trip to the finals with a 3-1 victory over Trinity University (Texas) in the Austin, Texas, Regional championship game.

The team with the shortest travel time to Appleton is the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (39-9), which is located just 65 miles west of the Fox Cities. Stevens Point is making its fifth appearance in the finals and its first since 2010. The Pointers won the Whitewater, Wis., Regional with a 1-0 victory over Case Western Reserve University (Ohio) in the regional title game.

Manchester University (39-5-1) stopped Marietta College’s hopes for a three-peat by downing the Pioneers 8-5 in the title game of the Terre Haute, Ind., Regional. Manchester makes its second trip to Appleton, with the first coming in 2004.

Webster University (Mo.) is making its second consecutive and second overall appearance in the finals. The Gorloks (36-10) punched their ticket to Appleton with a 7-3 win over Concordia University (Ill.) in the championship game of the Moline, Ill., Regional.

The lone newcomer to the finals is Millsaps College (Miss.), which earned its berth among the final eight teams with a 7-6 victory over Sailsbury University (Md.) in the Millington, Tenn., Regional title game. Millsaps (38-12) won the regional championship game with a walk-off, run-scoring single in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Friday’s Game Schedule (All times Central)

10 a.m. — University of Southern Maine (42-8) vs. Millsaps College (38-12)

1:15 p.m. — Linfield College (38-7) vs. Ithaca College (38-6)

4:30 p.m. — University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (39-9) vs. Manchester University (39-5-1)

7:45 p.m. — Kean University (38-11) vs. Webster University (36-10)

Brewer earns all-conference baseball honors

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University baseball standout Alex Brewer has been named to the All-Midwest Conference North Division team.

Brewer (Rio, Wis./Rio), a senior pitcher, made the all-conference team for the first time.

Brewer posted a 1-1 record in conference play with a stellar 2.88 earned run average. In 25 innings, Brewer allowed 25 hits, struck out 10 and walked 10.

In his first season as a starting pitcher, Brewer went 4-1 with a 3.52 ERA. He made six starts, pitched 46 innings, struck out 21 and walked 16.

Lawrence finished with an 11-24 overall record.

Midwest Conference news release

Free youth clinic set for NCAA Division III Baseball Championship

APPLETON, Wis. — Rawlings, American Apparel and the Panther Baseball Program are sponsoring a free youth baseball clinic as part of the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.

The clinic is Monday, May 27 (Memorial Day) from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. The clinic is open to players ages six to 14 and includes instruction on hitting, fielding and throwing. Korey Krueger, Director of Operations for the Panther Baseball Program, will lead the clinic.

The clinic is limited to 350 participants, and to register on a first-come, first-served basis, go to: www2.lawrence.edu/athletics/ncaayouthbaseball.shtml. Registration the day of the clinic starts at 8 a.m.

Each participant will receive a free T-shirt, and all participants should bring a glove and bat. For more information, please contact Krueger at 920-731-7529 or via email at koreyk@pcfoxcities.com.

As a special offer to those taking part in the clinic, the first 100 participants purchasing an adult ticket for Monday’s games or holding an all-session pass for the championship will receive a Rawlings promotional item. Two semifinal round games will take place on May 27 at noon and 3:30 p.m.

The NCAA Division III Baseball Championship features eight teams from around the country playing from May 24-28. This marks the 14th consecutive year the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship will be played at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium, which is the home of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, a Class A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Ticket prices are: all-session pass, $33 adults, $20 senior citizens and students; daily session pass, $11 adults, $7 senior citizens and students.

Information/Registration

Vikings win with walk-off in opener, split doubleheader with Carroll

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University baseball team won the opener in a walk-off on Wednesday and went on to split a Midwest Conference doubleheader with Carroll University at Whiting Field.

Lawrence (11-24, 2-14 MWC) won a wild one, 9-8, in the opener, and Carroll (16-19, 5-11) took the nightcap 12-3.

The Vikings took a see-saw affair in the opener by scoring a run in the bottom of the ninth. Carroll had tied it at 8-8 in the top half of the inning, but Aaron Benz led off the bottom of the ninth with a single.

After a sacrifice bunt moved pinch-runner Tom Olson to second, Tanner DeBettencourt tripled to dead center field and Olson scored to give Lawrence the 9-8 victory.

Davide Harris went 3-for-5 and drove in two runs in the opener for the Vikings. Dan Taylor went 3-for-4 and also drove in a pair of runs for Lawrence. Benz and Gabe Warshaw both had two hits, and Phil Wisniewski belted a solo homer for the Vikings.

Gene Shipanik pitched the ninth and picked up the win for the Vikings. Chris James took the loss in relief for Carroll.

Joe Klobukowski went 5-for-6, scored three runs and drove in a pair for the Pioneers.

In the nightcap, Tyler Robers scattered nine hits over seven innings and allowed only three runs to earn the victory.

The Pioneers trailed 2-1 but scored five times in the top of the sixth to take command. Carroll then added five more runs in the top of the eighth to seal the victory. Mitch Marty went 3-for-5 to pace the Carroll offense.

DeBettencourt and Warshaw had two hits apiece for Lawrence.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Lawrence drops two to Carroll

WAUKESHA, Wis. — The Carroll University baseball team swept a Midwest Conference doubleheader from Lawrence University on Sunday at Frame Park.

Carroll (15-19, 4-10 MWC) won the opener 13-12 and took the nightcap 9-0.

In the opener, Carroll led 11-7 after scoring four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, but Lawrence (10-23, 1-13) rallied for five runs in the top of the ninth. Davis Ogilvie got the inning started for Lawrence with a solo homer, and Gabe Warshaw and Gabe Henriques both added run-scoring singles to give the Vikings a 12-11 lead.

Carroll then scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to win it. After two hit batsmen and a walk loaded the bases with one out, both runs scored on an error.

Ogilvie, Warshaw, Phil Wisniewski and Jake Gordon all had three hits in the opener for the Vikings. Phil Clark took the loss in relief.

In the nightcap, Carol Formento scattered eight hits to pick up the shutout for the Pioneers. He struck out nine and walked three as Lawrence stranded 11 runners.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Saturday’s baseball doubleheader vs. Carroll postponed, rescheduled for May 8

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University baseball doubleheader scheduled for Saturday at Whiting Field has been postponed.

Constant rain has saturated Whiting Field, where Lawrence was scheduled to play Carroll University. The doubleheader will be played on Wednesday, May 8, at noon.

Lawrence will travel to Carroll for a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Sunday.

Shipanik shuts down Marian as Vikings rally late for victory

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University baseball team got a run in the bottom of the sixth to break a tie, and Gene Shipanik tossed five innings of scoreless relief as the Vikings beat Marian University 2-1 on Thursday in a nonconference game at Whiting Field.

Game two of the scheduled doubleheader was rained out.

It was the first collegiate victory for Shipanik, who took over for starter Drew Doares in the top of the third. Shipanik went five innings, allowed five hits, struck out one and walked two.

Davide Harris and Gabe Henriques paced the Lawrence offense with two hits apiece, and Aaron Benz drove in both runs for the Vikings (10-21).

Marian (18-14) scored its lone run of the contest in the top of the first, but Lawrence answered in the bottom half of the inning. Harris started the inning with an infield single, and Henriques followed with another single. After both runners stole a base, Benz’s groundout scored Harris to tie the game at 1-1.

The score stayed that way until the bottom of the sixth when Gabe Warshaw led off the inning with a single. He moved to second on Harris’ sacrifice bunt, and Henriques followed with a single to put runners at the corners. Benz then perfectly executed the suicide squeeze to score Warshaw and put Lawrence up 2-1.

Shipanik then worked a perfect seventh to complete the win.

Rain then moved in quickly and the second game was called after the field became saturated.

Lawrence wraps up its home schedule on Saturday when the Vikings host Carroll University.

Box score

MSOE takes two from Vikings

APPLETON, Wis. — The Milwaukee School of Engineering baseball team limited Lawrence University to only seven hits and swept a nonconference doubleheader on Wednesday at Whiting Field.

The Raiders (15-17) won the opener 3-1 and took the nightcap 8-5.

In the first game, Luke Yogerst went six innings and gave up only three hits to pick up the win. Mike Bergstrom pitched the seventh for the save.

Derek Jordan went 3-for-3 and scored two runs in the opener for MSOE, and Nick Jablonski drove in a pair of runs.

MSOE got single runs in the first and third off Lawrence starter Kelton Jenkins and then added an insurance run in the fifth. Lawrence (9-21) scored its only run in the bottom of the first on Sam Kossow’s RBI single.

Jenkins pitched the first three innings and took the loss.

In the nightcap, the Raiders piled up 13 hits against five Lawrence pitchers. Ben Falls went the first six innings and allowed only three hits to pick up the win.

MSOE scored twice in the first on two-run homer by Walt Ziller and then added another run in the second, three more in the third and single runs in the fourth and sixth. Josh Hein went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs for MSOE and Jake Hilgendorf drove in three runs.

The Vikings closed in on MSOE in the third on Aaron Benz’s two-run single that trimmed the lead to 6-3. Lawrence added two more runs in the seventh to cut the lead to 8-5. Lawrence had the bases loaded when Bergstrom came in and got the final out to record his second save of the day.

Lawrence returns to action on Thursday when it hosts Marian University in a nonconference doubleheader.

Game one box score

Game two box score

Tuesday’s baseball doubleheader vs. Marian postponed, rescheduled for Thursday

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University baseball doubleheader scheduled against Marian University on Tuesday has been postponed due to wet field conditions at Whiting Field.

The doubleheader has been rescheduled for Thursday, May 2, at 1 p.m.

Lawrence is scheduled to return to action on Wednesday when it hosts the Milwaukee School of Engineering at 2:30 p.m. at Whiting Field.

Nine-run inning helps Vikings to doubleheader split with Knox

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University baseball team exploded for nine runs in the sixth inning of the second game and went on to a win and a nonconference doubleheader split with Knox College on Saturday at Whiting Field.

Lawrence (9-19) rode the nine-run inning to a 12-1 victory in the nightcap after Knox (17-9) took the opener 12-6.

Davide Harris went 4-for-5 and drove in three runs for Lawrence in the nightcap. Freshman Tom Olson had a big bases-loaded, three-run triple, and Davis Ogilvie belted a two-run homer for the Vikings.

Ogilvie, Aaron Benz, and Jake Gordon all had two hits, and Gordon drove in a pair of runs.

Phil Clark went the distance to get the win for the Vikings. He allowed eight hits, struck out three and walked one. Jeremy Gogoel took the loss in relief for Knox.

The score was tied 1-1 heading to the bottom of the sixth when Ogilvie and Tanner DeBettencourt hit one-out singles. Gordon followed with a squeeze bunt single to score Ogilvie and break the tie. After a fly out, a catcher’s interference loaded the bases. Olson then belted the first pitch into the gap in right field to score all three runners and give Lawrence a 5-1 lead.

Harris, Gabe Henriques and Benz all followed with run-scoring singles and the Vikings were up 8-1. Ogilvie then blasted a two-run homer, his second of the season, to put the Vikings up 10-1.

Lawrence then won the game via the 10-run rule when Harris smacked a two-run double in the seventh.

In the opener, Knox jumped on starter Atley Gay early and led 9-1 after the top of the fourth. Lawrence countered with two runs in the fourth, two more in the sixth and another run in the seventh to cut the lead to 9-6. Knox tacked on three more runs in the top of the eighth to seal the victory.

Jackson White went 4-for-6 with three runs scored and two runs batted in to pace Knox in the opener. Ryan Hoffman had two hits, including a three-run homer, and drove in five runs.

Benz and Gabe Warshaw both had three hits for the Vikings, and Henriques and Gordon had two hits apiece.

Lawrence returns to action on Tuesday when it hosts Marian University in a nonconference doubleheader.

Game one box score

Game two box score