Game 13 - May 29, 2006
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Pat O’Connor was channeling Carlton Fisk on Monday. In the finest tradition of the 1975 World Series and the Boston Red Sox slugger, O’Connor hit a dramatic three-run homer in the eighth inning that just stayed fair down the left field line. The homer lifted Wheaton (Mass.) College to a 4-3 victory over Chapman University in an elimination game at the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship at Fox Cities Stadium.
“I was yelling stay fair the entire time down the first base line,” said O’Connor, who grew up just 60 miles from Fenway Park in Mattapoisett, Mass. The homer was fair by less than 10 feet and it came off of All-America pitcher Devin Drag, who leads the nation in earned run average and had allowed only one homer in his previous 87 innings. “How fitting it came against the guy that two nights earlier had put us in the loser’s bracket,” Wheaton head coach Eric Podbelski said of Drag, who had fired a six-hit shutout against the Lyons on Saturday.
The win puts Wheaton (42-9), which is in its first trip to the finals, in Tuesday’s championship game at 12 p.m. against Marietta College (42-11). The Lyons will have to beat Marietta twice to take the title in this double-elimination format.
The Lyons had been stymied by Chapman starter Wayde Kitchens, who had allowed only three hits through the first five innings. “I got rid of the game jitters around the second or third inning and found a groove,” said Kitchens, who gave up six hits and struck out seven in 7 1/3 innings.
Podbelski told his team to stay patient and keep piling up quality at-bats, and the fruit of that labor started to pay off in the sixth. A walk, infield single, fielder’s choice and single to right field loaded the bases with two outs, but Kitchens recovered to strike out O’Connor on a called third strike to end the threat.
“That was big for us for Wayde to step up and make those pitches,” Chapman coach Tom Tereschuk said. “He didn’t fall apart. He stepped up and made some great pitches.” O’Connor’s teammates told him not to get down after that strikeout. He said they told him he would have another shot to redeem himself. How right they were.
After Kitchens struck out the side in the seventh, Travis Anthoine led off the eighth with a triple in the right field corner. After a ground out, Andy Koocher reached on an error and Scott Guillerault walked to load the bases. That walk chased Kitchens and Tereschuk called Drag from the bullpen.
“He’s as good as any pitcher anywhere,” Tereschuk said of Drag. “Bringing him in there is a no-brainer.” Drag got Adam Laplante to hit a ground ball to shortstop Kurt Yacko, who flipped to second baseman Kyle Redding for the force out. As Redding was taking the ball from his glove to complete the double play and end the inning, he dropped the ball. That allowed O’Connor to come to the plate, and he remembered that Drag had Wheaton hitters swinging and missing at his slider on Saturday. The right-handed hitting O’Connor said he was looking for a slider away and that’s what he got. “I think I got a little in front,” O’Connor said with a laugh. “I was still kind of shocked (as I was running around the bases). I didn’t know it had put us up 4-3.”
The fate of the Lyons now rested with Jamie Baker, who had come on in relief of starter Joe White in the top of the eighth. Baker struck out the first batter, got a flyout and struck out Redding to end the game. “No one is going to go down easy at this point, and we aren’t either,” Podbelski said.
Chapman (33-13) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first when Jarrod Sammet led off the game with double, went to second on a ground out and scored on another ground out.
The Panthers added two more runs in the fifth to go up 3-0. The inning started when Matt Pearson was hit by a pitch. After a sacrifice bunt and ground out, a throwing error on Sammet’s ground ball allowed him to reach and Pearson to score. Sammet swiped second and Brian Brubaker followed with a single up the middle to score Sammett.
That looked like it might be enough for the Panthers to get back to the championship game for the first time since they took the title in 2003, but O’Connor spoiled those plans with his dramatics in the eighth.
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Chapman 3 Name (Pos) AB R H RBI BB SO PO A Jarrod Sammet rf.......... 4 2 1 0 0 0 5 0 Brian Brubaker lf......... 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 Tyler Dean 3b............. 4 0 0 1 0 0 2 3 John Alexander dh......... 4 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 Patrick Ohail 1b.......... 4 0 2 0 0 0 7 0 Steve Fraser cf........... 4 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 Matt Pearson c............ 3 1 0 0 0 0 6 2 Kyle Redding 2b........... 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 Kurt Yacko ss............. 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 Wayde Kitchens p.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Devin Drag p.............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals.................... 33 3 7 2 0 3 24 11 Wheaton 4 Name (Pos) AB R H RBI BB SO PO A Travis Anthoine lf........ 3 1 2 0 1 1 1 0 Jake Yagilian 2b.......... 4 0 0 1 0 0 3 3 Andy Koocher 1b........... 3 1 2 0 1 0 13 0 Scott Guillerault 3b...... 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 Adam Laplante c........... 4 1 1 0 0 1 3 0 Pat O'Conner rf........... 4 1 1 3 0 1 4 0 Jeff Martin dh............ 3 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 Robert Foote ph........... 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Brandon Leonard cf........ 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Rafael Castillo ss........ 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 8 Joe White p............... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Jaime Baker p............. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals.................... 31 4 7 4 3 7 27 14 Score by innings: R H E ---------------------------------------------- Chapman 100 020 000 - 3 7 1 Wheaton 000 000 04 - 4 7 1 ---------------------------------------------- E - Redding; Yaglian. DP - Wheaton 1. LOB - Chapman 5; Wheaton 6. 2B - Sammet; Alexander; Ohail; J Martin. 3B - Anthoine. HR - O'Conner. SB - Sammet; Yacko. CS - Anthoine. SH - Redding. Chapman IP H R ER BB SO AB BF Wayde Kitchens...... 7.1 6 3 1 3 7 28 31 Devin Drag.......... 0.2 1 1 1 0 0 3 3 Wheaton IP H R ER BB SO AB BF Joe White........... 7.2 7 3 1 0 1 29 31 Jaime Baker......... 1.1 0 0 0 0 2 4 4 Win - J Baker 4-0. Loss - Drag 10-2. Save - None. HBP - by J White (Pearson). Umpires - Home:Steve Reinhardt 1st:Andre Lanoue 2nd:Carmen Perotti 3rd:Kevin Joycce Start: 3:35pm Time: 2:22 Attendance: 1309
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Score by innings: R H E ---------------------------------------------- Chapman 100 020 000 - 3 7 1 Wheaton 000 000 04 - 4 7 1 ---------------------------------------------- Chapman inning 1 Sammet doubled to right center. Brubaker grounded out to 2b; Sammet advanced to third. T Dean grounded out to 1b unassisted, RBI; Sammet scored. Alexander struck out looking. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Wheaton inning 1 Anthoine struck out looking. Yaglian grounded out to 3b. Koocher singled down the lf line. Guillerault grounded out to 3b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Chapman inning 2 Ohail singled through the left side. Fraser grounded into double play ss to 2b to 1b; Ohail out on the play. Pearson flied out to rf. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Wheaton inning 2 Laplante struck out looking. O'Conner grounded out to ss. J Martin doubled to center field. Leonard flied out to rf. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Chapman inning 3 Redding grounded out to ss. Yacko singled to right field. Sammet popped up to ss. Yacko stole second. Brubaker grounded out to 2b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Wheaton inning 3 R Castillo fouled out to 3b. Anthoine singled to third base, bunt. Anthoine out at second c to ss, caught stealing. Yaglian grounded out to 3b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Chapman inning 4 T Dean grounded out to ss. Alexander doubled down the rf line. Ohail grounded out to 3b. Fraser reached on a fielder's choice; Alexander out at third 3b unassisted. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Wheaton inning 4 Koocher walked. Guillerault reached on a fielder's choice; Koocher out at second ss to 2b. Laplante flied out to cf. O'Conner flied out to rf. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Chapman inning 5 Pearson hit by pitch. Redding grounded out to p, SAC, bunt; Pearson advanced to second. Yacko grounded out to p. Sammet reached on a throwing error by 2b; Pearson scored, unearned. Sammet stole second. Brubaker singled up the middle, RBI; Sammet scored, unearned. T Dean popped up to 2b. 2 runs, 1 hit, 1 error, 1 LOB. Wheaton inning 5 J Martin struck out swinging. Leonard lined out to rf. R Castillo flied out to rf. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Chapman inning 6 Alexander flied out to rf. Ohail doubled to left field. Fraser grounded out to ss; Ohail advanced to third. Pearson grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Wheaton inning 6 Anthoine walked. Yaglian flied out to rf. Koocher singled to pitcher; Anthoine advanced to second. Guillerault reached on a fielder's choice; Koocher advanced to second; Anthoine out at third cf to 3b. Laplante singled to right field; Guillerault advanced to second; Koocher advanced to third. O'Conner struck out looking. 0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 3 LOB. Chapman inning 7 Redding grounded out to ss. Yacko flied out to lf. Sammet grounded out to ss. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Wheaton inning 7 J Martin struck out swinging. Leonard struck out looking. R Castillo struck out swinging, out at first c to 1b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB. Chapman inning 8 Brubaker flied out to rf. T Dean lined out to 3b. Alexander singled to left center. J Baker to p for J White. Ohail reached on a fielder's choice; Alexander out at second ss to 2b. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Wheaton inning 8 Anthoine tripled down the rf line. Yaglian grounded out to 2b, RBI; Anthoine scored. Koocher reached on a fielding error by 2b. Guillerault walked; Koocher advanced to second. Drag to p for Kitchens. Laplante reached on a fielder's choice; Guillerault out at second ss to 2b; Koocher advanced to third. O'Conner homered down the lf line, 3 RBI, team unearned; Laplante scored, unearned; Koocher scored, unearned. R Foote pinch hit for J Martin. R Foote grounded out to 2b. 4 runs, 2 hits, 1 error, 0 LOB. Chapman inning 9 Fraser struck out swinging. Pearson flied out to rf. Redding struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.
Updated May 2006