From Emory University Athletics
The 22nd-ranked Emory University Eagles battled their
way to a 9-7 win over SUNY-Cortland on Sunday afternoon at
Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium to stay alive at the
NCAA Division III Baseball Championships and eliminate the Red
Dragons from title contention.
After fighting to wins in the first two games of the losers'
bracket, the Eagles, 36-12 for the season, will now take on
Southern Maine, ranked 12th in Division III, at
1:00 PM ET on Monday. Should the Eagles win, they would face
the loser of the winners' bracket game between St. Thomas and
Wisconsin-Whitewater at 4:30 PM ET on Monday. Check back to
EmoryAthletics.com on Monday, as potential poor weather in Appleton
could force changes to the game times.
Freshman Hans Hansen earned the win in the game,
scattering 10 hits and walk to hold Cortland to five runs, four of
which were earned. He improved to 9-2 on the year, setting a
new program record for wins in a season by a freshman.
Emory fell into an early hole on Sunday when Cortland State scored
a pair of runs in the top of the first on RBI singles from Anthony
Iacomini and Max Rosing.
Cortland starter Brandon Serio retired the first two batters of the
bottom of the first, but back-to-back singles from Brett
Lake and Daniel Iturrey, followed by a hit-by-pitch drawn
by Jared Kahn, loaded the bases for Jared Welch, who
evened the score with a two-run single. A batter later,Philip
Maldari evened the score with a fly ball to right that was
lost in the sun, dropping in for an RBI hit to score Kahn.
The Red Dragons answered right back to take the lead in the top of
the second, when a catcher's interference call and a single put two
on, and Vinny Bomasuto drove them both in with a double off the
wall in leftfield. Hansen would settle in from there,
retiring the next nine batters in a row before a double and an
error in the top of the fifth put runners on the corners with one
out. However, the freshman induced a pop out and a fly out to
end the threat and keep it at a 4-3 game.
Emory's bats would break out again in the bottom of the fifth to
regain the lead. After Serio retired the first two batters of
the inning for the fifth-straight frame, Iturrey singled and stole
second, allowing Kahn to drive him in with a base hit past the
second baseman to tie the game at four. Welch followed with a
double to the left centerfield gap to put Emory back on top, and
Maldari, on a hit and run play, singled to right field to give
Emory a 6-4 advantage and chase Serio from the game.
The Eagles held their two runs lead until the seventh when P.J.
Rinaldi singled in Bomasuto with two outs, and Chris Jackson
followed with a base hit down the rightfield line to put runners on
the corners. Hansen gave way to freshman Kyle Monk, who
threw two strikes to the batter before Cortland attempted a steal
of home with runners on first and third that was foiled by the
Emory defense to end the frame with the lead intact, 6-5.
After the stop by Monk, the Eagles buffered their lead with another
three runs in the bottom of the seventh. With one out,
Iturrey hit a line drive that got past the Cortland left fielder
and all the way to the wall, allowing Iturrey to reach third.
Kahn walked in the next at bat, and with Welch at the plate, Emory
executed the play that Cortland failed to in the top of the inning,
with Kahn breaking for second and drawing a throw, allowing Iturrey
to score. Welch picked up an RBI single in the next at bat,
his fourth RBI of the game, and Maldari drove in Welch with a
double off the wall in left centerfield, giving the Eagles a 9-5
lead.
Cortland would not go away quietly, however. In the top of
the eighth, the Red Dragons scored two runs and loaded the bases
with one out, but Monk induced a 5-4-3 double play to end the
inning with a two-run lead intact. He would then go on to
retire the side in order in the ninth, earning his seventh save of
the year, and his sixth of the NCAA Championships.
Welch finished the game three-for-four with four RBIs at the plate
to pace the Eagles, while Maldari added a three-for-four day with
three runs batted in. Emory stole six bases in the game, and
collected 14 hits.
Cortland State ended its campaign with an overall record of 36-10. Serio took the loss for the Red Dragons, dropping to 9-3.