2004 NCAA Division III Baseball West Regional
2004 Tournament Statistics
Wisconsin Bound! Bruins Top Tigers to Earn World Series Trip
Orange CA - Gutsy pitching performances by staff ace Scott Hyde and relievers Derrick Jones and Cory Dixon earned George Fox University its first NCAA Division III World Series berth as the Bruins topped the Trinity University Tigers 6-2 in the championship game of the West Regional baseball tournament at Hart Park.
Hyde worked the first six innings after pitching a complete game in the Bruins' 3-1 win over Chapman on Thursday and was in trouble all day as the Tigers put runners on base in every inning. The junior righthander made the big pitches when he needed them more often than not, however, ending each of the first four innings with strikeouts with men in scoring position. He finished with eight strikeouts, boosting his season total to 161 and his career total to 365, and two walks while spacing seven hits, leaving with the game tied 2-2.
Jones (7-0) worked two shutout innings and got the win when the Bruins plated the go-ahead run in the 8th against reliever Adam Frey (5-2). C.R. Braniff reached second on a throwing error by shortstop Jason Armstrong on his grounder up the middle and was sacrificed to third by David Peterson. After an intentional pass to Joshua Sargent, Greg Dombek delivered the winning run with a sacrifice fly to right.
The Bruins added three big insurance runs in the top of the 9th. Scott Hunter drilled a two-out double, his second of the game, and Drew Johnson reached on catcher's interference. Braniff singled through the left side for one run, Johnson scored on a balk call against southpaw reliever Joe Brown, and Braniff came in on a passed ball.
Trying to close out the game, Jones hit Andrew Findlay and pinch-hitter Russell Madison to start the 9th, bringing on Dixon, who had beaten La Verne the night before to get the Bruins to the title game. The senior southpaw earned the save by retiring three straight hitter, two on foul pops to Sargent at first and striking out Chase Tettleton to secure the Bruins' World Series trip.
George Fox broke through first in the contest with a pair of runs in the top of the 2nd inning. Jones lined a one-out single to center, moved up on a ground out, and scored on Hunter's first double to right-center. Stephen Donohue singled to center to plate Hunter.
Trinity got one run back in the home half when Nicholas Vera singled through the left side, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Andreas Verrios' sacrifice fly to right.
The Tigers tied it in the 6th as J.B. Sowyrda walked, Vera sacrified, and Findlay sliced a double into the right-field corner to score the run, but Hyde escaped further damage by inducing a 6-4-3 double play after a walk to Verrios.
Trinity, the #1 seed in the tournament, completes its season with a 37-10 record. George Fox, which was seeded #3 and is now 35-9, heads for Appleton, Wisc., and the eight-team World Series.
2004 West Regional All-Tournament Team
Catcher - B.J. DuBarry, La Verne; First Base - Joshua Sargent, George Fox ; Second Base - C.R. Braniff, George Fox; Third Base - David Moore, Linfield; Shortstop - Jason Armstrong, Trinity (Texas); Outfield - Tyler Dean, Chapman; Chase Tettleton, Trinity (Texas); Designated Hitter - Nicholas Vera, Trinity (Texas); Pitcher - Scott Hyde, George Fox; Cory Dixon, George Fox; Buddy Klovstad, Chapman.
2004 Results
Linfield 5, Cal State Hayward 4