Game 4 - May 24, 2002
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Grand Chute, Wisconsin - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s (N.Y.) Travis Teeter (pictured to the left) pitched a masterful nine-strikeout, two-hit, complete-game performance, and helped his own cause by going 3-for-4 at the plate with the eventual game-winning RBI, as the Red Hawks claimed a 2-1 win over Lakeland College (Wis.) in an NCAA Division III Baseball Championship first-round game Friday night at Fox Cities Stadium. RPI, now 33-9 on the season, advances to play Eastern Connecticut State in a winner’s bracket game on Saturday at 7:45 p.m. RPI has won its last five games in a row. Lakeland, which saw its eight-game winning streak snapped to fall to 33-15-1 overall, will face Concordia University at Austin (Texas) in an elimination game on Saturday at 1:15 p.m.
Teeter, a first-team All-American and Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year, allowed just two hits and only seven Lakeland baserunners in the game, netting six of his nine strikeouts in the first five innings en route to his sixth complete-game of the season. Lakeland stranded five runners. "In the early innings, a couple of their guys were swinging at that high pitch. I just stayed up there until they laid off it and then worked them in and out," Teeter said. "I consider myself more of a power pitcher. If I don’t hit my spots, I don’t worry about it because I’m confident in my defense."
Teeter kept the Muskies hitless until the sixth inning, when Chris Thousand was hit by a pitch and scored on a double to left-center by Matt Frelich. "He (Teeter) just battles the whole way," said RPI coach Karl Steffen. "He’s a great athlete. He can swing the bat too, as we saw tonight. He battles tooth and nail, he give us everything."
Rensselaer scored all the runs it would need in the second inning. Matt Faraone led off the inning with a double to the left-center gap, and came around to score on a two-out double by Pat Hughes, also to left-center. Teeter then singled to center to drive in Hughes.
The Red Hawks overcame a solid pitching performance by Lakeland’s Steve Plucinski (pictured to the right), who pitched a seven-hitter, striking out three in his sixth complete-game of the season. RPI stranded six runners in the game. "We wasted a great pitching performance by Plu (Plucinski)," said Lakeland coach John Weber. "He’s a third-team All-American, and tonight he showed why. He kept us in the ballgame. "The only disappointment I have is that this is our kind of game. Our game is pitching and defense, and we let this one get away."
Attendance at the tournament climbed to a record high, aided by the presence of two Wisconsin teams in the event. The final event of Friday’s four-game set drew 1,592 fans, the most to see an NCAA tournament game at Fox Cities Stadium since the park began hosting the Division III championship three years ago.
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Lakeland College 1 (33-15-1) Name (Pos) AB R H RBI BB SO PO A Vance Henning lf.......... 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 Bo Heinemeyer rf.......... 4 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 Chris Thousand 1b......... 3 1 0 0 0 2 7 0 Matt Frelich c............ 4 0 1 1 0 0 4 1 Aaron Gustman dh.......... 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 Mike Stoeckigt cf......... 4 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 Jim Kluck ss.............. 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 Tadd Russell 3b........... 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Jon Bintner 2b............ 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Steve Plucinski p......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals.................... 31 1 2 1 1 9 24 5 Rensselaer Poly.Ins. 2 (33-9) Name (Pos) AB R H RBI BB SO PO A Steven Palmer lf.......... 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Pat Hughes rf............. 4 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 Travis Teeter p........... 4 0 3 1 0 0 1 2 Dan Quinn 1b.............. 4 0 1 0 0 1 9 0 Flynn Cochran 2b.......... 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 David Hubbs 3b............ 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 Seth Shuket c............. 2 0 0 0 1 0 9 0 Matt Faraone cf........... 3 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 Brendan Witherell ss...... 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 3 Totals.................... 31 2 7 2 1 3 27 9 Score by innings: R H E ---------------------------------------------- Lakeland College 000 001 000 - 1 2 1 Rensselaer Poly.Ins. 002 000 00 - 2 7 2 ---------------------------------------------- E - Bintner, Hubbs, Witherell. LOB - Lakeland 5, RPI 6. 2B - Frelich, Hughes, Faraone. SB - Henning. CS - Hubbs. Lakeland College IP H R ER BB SO AB BF Steve Plucinski..... 8.0 7 2 2 1 3 31 32 Rensselaer Poly.Ins. IP H R ER BB SO AB BF Travis Teeter....... 9.0 2 1 1 1 9 31 33 Win - Teeter 9-2. Loss - Plucinski 9-3. Save - None. HBP - by Teeter (Thousand). Umpires - Home:Rod Murphy 1st:Bob Still 2nd:Rich Lindquist 3rd:Jim Jackson Start: 9:15 pm Time: 1:53 Attendance: 1592 Game Notes: 2-run 3rd for RPI, RBI double by Hughes and RBI single by Teeter.. Lakeland scored on RBI double by Frelich in 6th...RPI's Teeter gets 9 Ks to notch 6th complete-game win of season...Also Plucinski's 6th complete game. Lakeland's 8-game winning streak snapped...RPI has won 5 in a row.
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Score by innings: R H E ---------------------------------------------- Lakeland College 000 001 000 - 1 2 1 Rensselaer Poly.Ins. 002 000 00 - 2 7 2 ---------------------------------------------- Lakeland College inning 1 Henning struck out swinging (1-2). Heinemeyer fouled out to 1b (0-0). Thousand struck out swinging (2-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Rensselaer Poly.Ins. inning 1 Palmer flied out to 1b (2-2). Hughes fouled out to 1b (0-1). Teeter flied out to ss (2-0). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Lakeland College inning 2 Frelich grounded out to 3b (2-1). Gustman reached on an error by 3b (0-0). Stoeckigt struck out swinging (1-2). Kluck grounded out to p (1-1). 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB. Rensselaer Poly.Ins. inning 2 Quinn singled to third base (2-2). Cochran flied out to rf (1-0). Hubbs flied out to 1b (0-2). Shuket fouled out to p (1-0). 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Lakeland College inning 3 Russell grounded out to p (1-1). Bintner grounded out to ss (2-2). Henning reached on an error by ss (1-1). Heinemeyer grounded out to 2b (0-0). 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB. Rensselaer Poly.Ins. inning 3 Faraone doubled to left center (0-0). Witherell fouled out to c, bunt (0-1). Palmer flied out to rf (3-2). Hughes doubled to left center, RBI (2-1); Faraone scored. Teeter singled to center field, RBI (3-2); Hughes scored. Quinn flied out to cf (3-2). 2 runs, 3 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Lakeland College inning 4 Thousand struck out swinging (1-2). Frelich flied out to lf (2-1). Gustman walked (3-2). Stoeckigt struck out swinging (2-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Rensselaer Poly.Ins. inning 4 Cochran grounded out to ss (0-0). Hubbs reached on an error by 2b (0-1). Hubbs out at second c to ss, caught stealing. Shuket walked (3-2). Faraone singled to center field (0-1); Shuket advanced to second. Witherell struck out swinging (3-2). 0 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 2 LOB. Lakeland College inning 5 Kluck flied out to ss (1-0). Russell struck out swinging (3-2). Bintner flied out to rf (1-0). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Rensselaer Poly.Ins. inning 5 Palmer grounded out to ss (0-1). Hughes fouled out to rf (2-1). Teeter singled to third base (0-2). Quinn struck out swinging (2-2). 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Lakeland College inning 6 Henning grounded out to 3b (0-0). Heinemeyer flied out to cf (0-1). Thousand hit by pitch (0-0). Frelich doubled to left center, RBI (3-1); Thousand scored. Gustman popped up to ss (0-0). 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Rensselaer Poly.Ins. inning 6 Cochran grounded out to ss (3-0). Hubbs flied out to rf (3-1). Shuket lined out to lf (0-0). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Lakeland College inning 7 Stoeckigt lined out to p, bunt (0-0). Kluck grounded out to 3b (2-0). Russell lined out to 2b (1-1). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Rensselaer Poly.Ins. inning 7 Faraone grounded out to ss (0-0). Witherell struck out swinging (2-2). Palmer flied out to rf (3-1). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Lakeland College inning 8 Bintner singled to left field (1-0). Henning reached on a fielder's choice (0-0); Bintner out at second ss to 2b. Henning stole second. Heinemeyer struck out swinging (1-2). Thousand flied out to cf (3-2). 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Rensselaer Poly.Ins. inning 8 Hughes flied out to lf (2-0). Teeter singled to left field (2-1). Quinn flied out to cf (0-0). Cochran reached on a fielder's choice (1-0); Teeter out at second ss unassisted. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Lakeland College inning 9 Frelich grounded out to ss (0-0). Gustman struck out swinging (0-2). Stoeckigt struck out swinging (1-2). 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Updated Sept 2003