From Emory University Athletics
For the second time in the program's history,
22nd-ranked Emory University will play for the NCAA
Division III Baseball Championship, as the Eagles claimed a 10-7
win over the sixth-ranked University of St. Thomas on Monday.
It was the second win of the day for the Eagles, who defeated
12th-ranked Southern Maine 15-3 earlier in the day, and
have won four-straight games at the NCAA Championships to advance
through the losers' bracket into the National Championship
game. The Eagles will take on the third-ranked University of
Wisconsin – Whitewater, needing to win twice to claim the
first National Championship in the program's history.
Emory, now 38-12 will be making its second ever appearance in the
National Championship game, after reaching the title game in
2007. Tomorrow's game is scheduled for an 12:00 PM ET start
on Tuesday, with the second game, if necessary, to follow at 3:30
PM ET.
Senior Ben Hinojosa gutted his way through six solid
innings to pick up the win, earning the win to improve to 5-2 on
the season. He allowed six runs, but just one earned, on
eight hits and three walks, while striking out four batters.
Senior Robert Gross closed out the game with a three
inning save, his second of the season, allowing just one run on
five hits and a strikeout.
After the Eagles stranded a pair of runners on the base paths in
the top of the first, St. Thomas took advantage of an early error
in the first to score three unearned runs in the bottom of the
inning. Catcher J.D. Dorgan drove in the first run of the
contest with a base hit, and Kelvin Stroik followed with a two RBI
hit to give the Tommies an early 3-0 lead.
The Eagles came back in the top of second, scoring runs on an RBI
single from Philip Maldari and a bases-loaded infield hit
from Brett Lake, cutting the lead to 3-2, before the Tommies
added on another run in the bottom of the frame on an RBI hit from
Jack Hogan.
Hinojosa would settle in on the mound, and Emory would put up
another two spot in the fourth, scoring on a sacrifice fly from
Lake and an RBI ground out from Daniel Iturrey, tying the
score at 4-4.
Hinojosa worked around a jam in the bottom of the fifth, when he
walked the leadoff hitter, who advanced to third on a stolen base
and a ground out. However, he struck out Brady Johnson and
induced a groundout to second base from Nick Degen to end the frame
unscathed.
Emory took its first lead of the game with a two-out RBI single
from Lake in the sixth, and then added on a five-run inning in the
seventh, including an RBI double from Jared Welch, an RBI
single from Jordan Selbach, and a two-RBI double
from Brandon Hannon to give the Eagles a 10-4 lead.
St. Thomas would eat away at the lead with two runs in the seventh
and one in the eighth, and bring the tying run to the plate with
two outs, but Gross would shut the door to put the Eagles in the
Championship game.
Lake drove in three runs for Emory in the game, extending his
program record to 69 this season. Eight Emory batters picked
up hits in the game, and seven had at least two hits in the
contest. In Emory's two games on Monday, the Eagles combined
to score 25 runs on 32 hits.
Relief pitcher Bill Ferderer took the loss for St. Thomas, falling
to 1-1 on the year. The Tommies, the fourth team the Eagles
have eliminated in the World Series, ended their campaign with a
39-9 record.
Emory is now 13-2 in elimination games during their last three NCAA
Tournament appearances.