Game 8 - May 29, 2004
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Grand Chute, Wisconsin - George Fox University used a combination of superlative pitching and a pesky offense to put together a 6-2 victory over Rowan University at the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.
The Bruins got a season-high 10 strikeouts in a complete-game performance from pitcher Cory Dixon (pictured left), and 13 of George Fox's 14 hits were singles in the winner's bracket game at Fox Cities Stadium. George Fox (37-9) advances to face the other unbeaten team, Eastern Connecticut State University, in a winner's bracket game. Rowan (41-7) will take on Aurora University in an elimination game.
"We went from being a team that had a lot of power to being a team that had a lot speed," George Fox head coach Pat Bailey said. "We don't care what we hit in terms of statistics, we care about scoring runs."
The Bruins picked up single runs in the first, third, fourth and fifth innings and got two runs in the eighth. "They did the same thing (against Salisbury)," Rowan head coach John Cole said of George Fox. "We knew they were going to bunt. They just executed."
George Fox got on the board in the first with a single, a sacrifice bunt and David Peterson's (pictured left) run-scoring single. The Bruins made it 2-0 in the third with the help of their only extra-base hit of the night, C.R. Braniff's lead-off double. He later scored on Greg Dombek's (pictured above right) two-out single.
Dombek finished 3-for-4 on the evening and is now 7-for-9 in the tournament. Peterson also went 3-for-4 and drove in a run.
A bunt single, a sacrifice, a ground out and a throwing error pushed the Bruins' lead to 3-0 in the fourth. It was more of the same in the fifth, as Peterson and Dombek collected singles to put runners at the corners with two outs. Dombek took off for second on a steal attempt, and Rowan second baseman Nick Urbanovich cut off the throw in front of second, as Peterson attempted to steal home. Urbanovich's throw was off-target and Peterson scored to put the Bruins up 4-0.
Dixon, meanwhile, was mowing down the Rowan batters. After working out of jam in the first, he retired the next 13 batters. "It's a big-time game," said Dixon, who improved to 7-4 on the season. "I love big-time games. That's what it's all about."
Rowan touched Dixon for single runs in the sixth and eighth, but he worked a perfect ninth to finish off the Profs.
"We showed a real lack of discipline tonight, and that's a tribute to (Dixon)," Cole said. "We played to his strength." George Fox rounded out its scoring with a pair of runs in the eighth. Dombek singled and scored on Scott Hunter's single. Hunter later scored on single by Stephen Donohue, who had a pair of hits.
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George Fox Univ. 6 (37-9) Name (Pos) AB R H RBI BB SO PO A Stephen Donohue dh........ 5 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 C.R. Braniff 2b........... 4 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 David Peterson ss......... 4 1 3 1 1 1 0 2 Joshua Sargent 1b......... 5 0 0 0 0 2 10 0 Greg Dombek c............. 4 1 3 1 1 0 10 0 Derrick Jones rf.......... 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 Scott Hunter lf........... 4 2 2 1 0 0 3 0 Tye Tinner 3b............. 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 6 Drew Johnson cf........... 4 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 Cory Dixon p.............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Totals.................... 36 6 14 4 2 5 27 10 Rowan Univ. 2 (41-7) Name (Pos) AB R H RBI BB SO PO A Bryan Ciconte rf.......... 4 0 0 0 0 3 5 0 Nick Urbanovich 2b........ 4 0 1 0 0 1 3 1 Irvin McFarland 1b........ 4 1 3 2 0 0 10 2 Michael Rucci c........... 4 0 1 0 0 1 5 1 Jesse Pappler dh.......... 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Matt Enuco ss............. 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 3 Jimmy Starkey cf.......... 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 Brent Dempsey 3b.......... 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 Roger Turley lf........... 3 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 Tom McCullen p............ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 Tyler Dempsey p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jim Gendaszek p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals.................... 34 2 7 2 0 10 27 12 Score by innings: R H E ---------------------------------------------- George Fox Univ. 101 110 020 - 6 14 1 Rowan Univ. 000 001 010 - 2 7 2 ---------------------------------------------- E - Dixon; Urbanovich; Enuco. DP - RU 1. LOB - GFU 8; RU 5. 2B - Braniff(11); McFarland(10). HR - McFarland(5). SB - Peterson(12); Dombek(4). SH - Braniff; Jones; Tinner. George Fox Univ. IP H R ER BB SO AB BF Cory Dixon.......... 9.0 7 2 1 0 10 34 34 Rowan Univ. IP H R ER BB SO AB BF Tom McCullen........ 6.0 9 4 2 2 3 23 27 Tyler Dempsey....... 1.2 4 2 2 0 1 8 9 Jim Gendaszek....... 1.1 1 0 0 0 1 5 5 Win - Dixon 7-4. Loss - McCullen 11-2. Save - None. Umpires - Home:Dan Eversole 1st:Bill Ryan 2nd:Rick Lindquist 3rd:Ralph Minard Start: 9:30 pm Time: 2:11 Attendance: 1772
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Score by innings: R H E ---------------------------------------------- George Fox Univ. 101 110 020 - 6 14 1 Rowan Univ. 000 001 010 - 2 7 2 ---------------------------------------------- George Fox Univ. inning 1 Donohue singled to left field. Braniff grounded out to c, SAC, bunt; Donohue advanced to second. Peterson singled to center field, RBI; Donohue scored. Sargent grounded out to 1b unassisted; Peterson advanced to second. Dombek walked. Jones grounded out to ss. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Rowan Univ. inning 1 Ciconte struck out swinging. Urbanovich flied out to lf. McFarland doubled down the lf line. Rucci singled to pitcher; McFarland advanced to third. Pappler struck out swinging. 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. George Fox Univ. inning 2 Hunter fouled out to rf. Tinner grounded out to ss. Johnson singled, bunt. Donohue lined out to 2b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Rowan Univ. inning 2 Enuco struck out swinging. Starkey flied out to cf. Dempsey, B. fouled out to 1b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. George Fox Univ. inning 3 Braniff doubled. Peterson walked. Sargent grounded into double play 2b to ss to 1b; Peterson out on the play; Braniff advanced to third. Dombek singled to left field, RBI; Braniff scored. Jones struck out looking. 1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Rowan Univ. inning 3 Turley struck out looking. Ciconte struck out swinging. Urbanovich grounded out to p. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. George Fox Univ. inning 4 Hunter singled to pitcher, bunt. Tinner grounded out to p, SAC, bunt; Hunter advanced to second. Johnson grounded out to 3b; Hunter advanced to third. Donohue reached on a throwing error by ss; Hunter scored, unearned. Donohue out at second p to 1b to ss, picked off. 1 run, 1 hit, 1 error, 0 LOB. Rowan Univ. inning 4 McFarland grounded out to p. Rucci grounded out to ss. Pappler grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. George Fox Univ. inning 5 Braniff struck out looking. Peterson singled to center field. Sargent struck out looking. Dombek singled to right field; Peterson advanced to second. Peterson stole third. Dombek stole second, advanced to third; Peterson scored on a throwing error by 2b, unearned. Jones flied out to rf. 1 run, 2 hits, 1 error, 1 LOB. Rowan Univ. inning 5 Enuco flied out to lf. Starkey flied out to cf. Dempsey, B. struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. George Fox Univ. inning 6 Hunter fouled out to rf. Tinner singled to center field. Tinner out at first p to 1b, picked off. Johnson flied out to rf. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Rowan Univ. inning 6 Turley singled to pitcher, bunt, advanced to second on a throwing error by p. Ciconte struck out swinging. Urbanovich singled to right field; Turley advanced to third. McFarland singled to left field, RBI; Urbanovich advanced to second; Turley scored, unearned. Rucci struck out swinging. Pappler flied out to rf. 1 run, 3 hits, 1 error, 2 LOB. George Fox Univ. inning 7 Dempsey, T. to p for McCullen. Donohue grounded out to 3b. Braniff fouled out to 1b. Peterson singled down the lf line. Sargent struck out swinging. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Rowan Univ. inning 7 Enuco singled to left field. Starkey struck out swinging. Dempsey, B. reached on a fielder's choice; Enuco out at second 3b to 2b. Turley flied out to lf. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. George Fox Univ. inning 8 Dombek singled to left field. Jones out at first 1b to 2b, SAC, bunt; Dombek advanced to second. Hunter singled down the lf line, RBI; Dombek scored. Tinner flied out to cf. Johnson singled to left field; Hunter advanced to second. Gendaszek to p for Dempsey, T.. Donohue singled down the rf line, RBI; Johnson advanced to third; Hunter scored. Braniff flied out to lf. 2 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB. Rowan Univ. inning 8 Ciconte grounded out to 3b. Urbanovich struck out swinging. McFarland homered to left center, RBI. Rucci grounded out to 3b. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB. George Fox Univ. inning 9 Peterson struck out looking. Sargent flied out to rf. Dombek popped up to 2b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Rowan Univ. inning 9 Pappler grounded out to 3b. Enuco grounded out to 3b. Starkey grounded out to 3b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Updated June 2004