From Emory University Athletics
Emory University sophomore Jackson Weeg picked up his nation-leading 12th win of the season, and junior Ben Vizvary came off the bench to drive in three runs, as the Emory University baseball team won its opening game of the NCAA Division III Championship round for the first time in the program's history, 9-7 over 16th-ranked Trinity University (Tex.) at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wisconsin on Friday.
Emory (31-13) will take on the winner of the late game on Friday between fifth-ranked Salisbury University and the 22nd-ranked University of Wisconsin – La Crosse on Saturday at 7:45 pm CT. Trinity (37-13) will face the loser of that game in pool play at 4:30 pm CT on Saturday in an elimination game during the pool-play stage of the tournament.
Weeg pitched eight innings, allowing just three runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out five to improve to 12-1 on the season. He moved to within one win of the program's single season record, set by former Eagles Will Carr in 2004 and Jason Glushon in 2007.
Both pitchers would retire the first nine batters they faced, before Trinity's Connor Moore led off the top of the fourth with a base hit. With one out, Jeremy Wolf singled to right field, sending Moore to third and advancing to second on a throw. The Tigers would plate the first run of the game on a groundout to second and would get the final out of the inning on a strikeout to keep the Trinity advantage at 1-0.
Emory threatened in the bottom of the fourth, when junior David Coble led off with a single up the middle for the first Eagles' hit of the game, and stole second base. However, Trinity's Ryan Gray was able to retire the next three batters, stranding Coble at second and preserving the one-run advantage.
Trinity would score again in the top of the fifth on a two-out RBI singles from Moore and Colin Serkowski, extending its lead to 3-0.
The score remained 3-0 until the bottom of the sixth, when back-to-back walks to sophomore Chris Young and Coble put men at first and second, and sophomore Wilson Morgan doubled to left center to score the first run of the game for Emory. After a pitching change, Coble scored on a wild pitch by Teddy Turner to cut the Tigers' lead to a run. Senior Brett Lake and sophomore Philip Maldari each walked, and a sacrifice fly for the first out from senior Wes Peacock tied the game at 3-3. After a another wild pitch moved Lake and Maldari into scoring position, Vizvary entered the game as a pinch hitter and singled in both off the third pitcher of the inning for the Tigers, Nicholas Griffith, to give Emory its first lead of the game, 5-3.
After Weeg held the Tigers scoreless in the top of the seventh, Emory added three more in the bottom of the eighth, when Young scored on an error with the bases loaded and one out, and Peacock followed with an RBI single to extend the lead to 7-3. A sacrifice fly from Vizvary (who remained in the game at first base) a batter later pushed the Eagles' advantage to 8-3 heading into the eighth.
In the bottom of the eighth two errors allowed Young to score again for Emory, as the Eagles took a 9-3 lead into the ninth. The Tigers rallied late against Emory reliever Kyle Monk, scoring four runs off the sophomore in the ninth inning, but a pop-up with two outs ended the game, and clinched the win for Emory.
Ryan Gray took the loss for Trinity, falling to 8-1 on the season.
The Eagles improved to 10-8 all-time at the Division III World Series. It marked the first time in the team's five appearances in Appleton that Emory had won its opening game of Championship play.