Game 15 - May 29, 2001
Story | Box Score | Play by Play
Grand Chute, Wisconsin - After two straight years of disappointment, the University of St. Thomas finally will bring home some fond memories from the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship. St. Thomas, which had finished second in each of the past two College World Series, won the first national baseball championship in school history on Tuesday, beating Marietta College 8-4 in a winner-take-all championship game at Fox Cities Stadium.
"I don't know if I can describe it," senior second baseman Jake Mauer said. "After being so close, it's like a fairy tale, really." Outfielder Brad Bonine said: "I thought it would never happen." Leading by four in the ninth, starter Brian Whinnery worked a 1-2-3 inning, getting the final hitter to fly out to Bonine in center to set off the celebration. "I'm real happy, but I'm happy for my players," St. Thomas coach Dennis Denning said. "I'm just happy these guys could win it, because they got the bragging rights for a year, anyway."
Marietta College scored in the top of the first inning. Jay Coakley hit a single through the hole into left field to drive in the first run of the game. St. Thomas answered in the bottom half of the inning, scoring a run on Luke Sather's infield single, which he beat out when the Marietta first baseman was unable to reach first base and get the putout in time.
The Tommies put up three runs in the bottom of the second to take a 4-1 lead. Bonine hit a two-run double to left-center field gap, and he scored from third later in the inning when Mauer's bunt barely stayed fair down the third-base line. Marietta College pulled starter Jim Sharp after the second inning, and Scott Stocker kept the Pioneers in the game by blanking the Tommies through the fifth inning.
Marietta's offense responded with runs in the fourth and fifth innings to cut its deficit to 4-3. In the sixth inning, St. Thomas widened its lead. Scott Christiansen led off with a single and was sacrificed to second. Matt Buzzell hit a double down the left-field line to score one run, and Bonine followed with a two-run home run to right to give the Tommies a 7-3 lead. "We just had a double to score a run, so I just wanted to hit the ball hard," said Bonine, who went 3-for-5 with four RBIs and was named tournament MVP. "I think it helps anytime there's a home run hit."
The teams traded runs in the seventh inning, and Marietta College loaded the bases in the top of the eighth inning, down by four runs. Whinnery got Mike Menke to hit a comebacker to the mound, and the Tommies got out of it without a run scoring. "I was just trying not to throw it into the bullpen (on the putout)," Whinnery said. "It wasn't like I was fooling a lot of them, especially later in the game, and the guy just missed the ball a little bit."
Bonine led five St. Thomas players on the all-tournament team. Tom Carroll, Jake Mauer, Brian Whinnery and Tony Wolverton were the others named from St. Thomas. Kris Buirley, Matt DeSalvo and Todd Timmer of Marietta were named all-tournament, as were SUNY-Cortland's Brendan Chiavaro and Craig Conway and Corey Hamman of Montclair State.
Story | Box Score | Play by Play | Composite Box Score | Situational Stats
Marietta College 4 (48-9-1) Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Dusty Childress 3b....... 4 2 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 Todd Timmer 2b........... 4 0 1 0 1 0 2 6 1 Matt McLuckey rf......... 4 0 1 1 0 0 3 0 1 Jay Coakley c............ 4 1 1 1 0 2 4 1 0 Mike Deegan 1b........... 3 0 0 0 1 0 13 1 1 Brent Curtin dh.......... 4 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 Derek Pauley lf.......... 3 1 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 Mike Menke ss............ 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 3 Andy Coble cf............ 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 Jim Sharp p.............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Scott Stocker p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Trey Lamb p............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Matt DeSalvo p.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals................... 32 4 6 4 5 6 24 12 7 Univ. of St. Thomas 8 (39-10) Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB ------------------------------------------------------ Brad Bonine cf........... 5 3 3 4 0 0 6 1 1 Tony Wolverton rf........ 5 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 1 Jake Mauer 2b............ 5 0 2 1 0 0 1 5 0 Tom Carroll 3b........... 4 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 Luke Sather lf........... 4 0 2 1 0 2 1 0 2 Kyle Olson c............. 4 0 0 0 0 0 6 2 3 Mark Fenstad dh.......... 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Scott Christiansen dh... 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nate Sundberg 1b......... 3 1 2 0 0 0 8 0 0 Matt Buzzell ss.......... 2 2 2 2 1 0 0 2 0 Brian Whinnery p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 Totals................... 36 8 14 8 2 5 27 11 8 Score by Innings R H E ------------------------------------------- Marietta College.... 100 110 100 - 4 6 0 Univ. of St. Thomas. 130 003 10X - 8 14 2 ------------------------------------------- E - Carroll(23), Buzzell(18). LOB - Marietta 7, St. Thomas 8. 2B - Bonine(12), Buzzell(13). 3B - Buzzell(6). HR - Bonine(6). SH - Coble, Sundberg, Buzzell. CS - Timmer. Marietta College IP H R ER BB SO AB BF ----------------------------------------------- Jim Sharp........... 2.0 6 4 4 1 1 12 13 Scott Stocker....... 3.2 6 3 3 0 2 15 17 Trey Lamb........... 1.1 2 1 1 1 1 6 7 Matt DeSalvo........ 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 3 3 Univ. of St. Thomas IP H R ER BB SO AB BF ----------------------------------------------- Brian Whinnery...... 9.0 6 4 3 5 6 32 38 Win - Whinnery (6-4). Loss - Sharp (3-1). Save - None. WP - Whinnery. Umpires - Home:Parquette 1st:Ramsey 2nd:Prange 3rd:Sill Start: 4:35 pm Time: 2:25 Attendance: 771
Story | Box Score | Play by Play | Composite Box Score | Situational Stats
Score by Innings R H E ------------------------------------------- Marietta College.... 100 110 100 - 4 6 0 Univ. of St. Thomas. 130 003 10X - 8 14 2 ------------------------------------------- Marietta College - inning 1 Childress walked. Timmer walked; Childress advanced to second. McLuckey popped up to p. Timmer out at second c to 2b, caught stealing; Childress advanced to third. Coakley singled through the left side, RBI; Childress scored. Deegan grounded out to 2b. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Univ. of St. Thomas - inning 1 Bonine singled to shortstop. Wolverton struck out swinging, bunt. Mauer grounded out to ss; Bonine advanced to second. Carroll singled to pitcher; Bonine advanced to third. Sather singled to second base, RBI; Carroll advanced to second; Bonine scored. Olson fouled out to rf. 1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Marietta College - inning 2 Curtin flied out to cf. Pauley struck out swinging. Menke grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Univ. of St. Thomas - inning 2 Fenstad singled through the right side. Sundberg popped up to 2b. Buzzell walked; Fenstad advanced to second. Bonine doubled to left center, 2 RBI; Buzzell scored; Fenstad scored. Wolverton grounded out to 2b; Bonine advanced to third. Mauer singled to third base, bunt, RBI; Bonine scored. Carroll flied out to rf. 3 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Marietta College - inning 3 Coble struck out looking. Childress reached on an error by ss. Timmer flied out to cf. McLuckey lined out to cf. 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB. Univ. of St. Thomas - inning 3 Stocker to p for Sharp. Sather struck out swinging. Olson fouled out to 3b. Fenstad flied out to cf. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Marietta College - inning 4 Coakley reached on an error by 3b, advanced to second. Deegan grounded out to 2b; Coakley advanced to third. Curtin grounded out to ss, RBI; Coakley scored, unearned. Pauley struck out looking. 1 run, 0 hits, 1 error, 0 LOB. unearned. Univ. of St. Thomas - inning 4 Sundberg singled to right field. Buzzell out at first 1b to 2b, SAC, bunt; Sundberg advanced to second. Bonine grounded out to 2b; Sundberg advanced to third. Wolverton grounded out to 2b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Marietta College - inning 5 Menke flied out to cf. Coble flied out to rf. Childress singled to center field. Timmer singled to center field; Childress advanced to second. McLuckey singled to center field, RBI; Timmer advanced to second, out at third cf to 2b to 3b; Childress scored. 1 run, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Univ. of St. Thomas - inning 5 Mauer flied out to rf. Carroll grounded out to 2b. Sather singled through the left side. Olson grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Marietta College - inning 6 Coakley struck out swinging. Deegan flied out to rf. Curtin struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Univ. of St. Thomas - inning 6 Christiansen to dh for Fenstad. Christiansen singled through the right side. Sundberg grounded out to 1b unassisted, SAC, bunt; Christiansen advanced to second. Buzzell doubled down the lf line, RBI; Christiansen scored. Bonine homered to left field, 2 RBI; Buzzell scored. Wolverton struck out swinging, out at first c to 1b. Mauer singled to shortstop. Lamb to p for Stocker. Carroll walked; Mauer advanced to second. Sather struck out looking. 3 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Marietta College - inning 7 Pauley singled to shortstop. Menke walked; Pauley advanced to second. Coble grounded out to c, SAC, bunt; Menke advanced to second; Pauley advanced to third. Childress grounded out to 2b, RBI; Menke advanced to third; Pauley scored. Timmer flied out to cf. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Univ. of St. Thomas - inning 7 Olson grounded out to ss. Christiansen grounded out to 2b. Sundberg singled to right field. Buzzell tripled to right center, RBI; Sundberg scored. Bonine grounded out to 2b. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Marietta College - inning 8 McLuckey flied out to lf. Coakley struck out looking. Deegan walked. Curtin singled up the middle; Deegan advanced to second. Curtin advanced to second on a wild pitch; Deegan advanced to third on a wild pitch. Pauley walked. Menke grounded out to p. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 3 LOB. Univ. of St. Thomas - inning 8 DeSalvo to p for Lamb. Wolverton struck out swinging. Mauer grounded out to p. Carroll fouled out to 1b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Marietta College - inning 9 Coble grounded out to 2b. Childress flied out to rf. Timmer flied out to cf. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Updated Sept 2003