Hunter Handel Goes 4-for-5
Posted: May 24, 2014
APPLETON, Wisconsin -- The Baldwin Wallace University baseball team lost to St. Thomas (Minn) University, 5-4, today (Saturday, May 24) in its second game at the 2014 NCAA Division III World Series on neuroscience group field at Fox Cities Stadium. This is BW's first-ever trip to the Div. III World Series.
With its loss BW, now a school-record 30-19, plays Southern Maine in a loser's bracket game tomorrow at 1:00. EST. If the Yellow Jackets win, they will have to play again later that evening. With its win, St. Thomas is 38-7 overall and plays in the winner's bracket championship game tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. (EST).
The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 1-0 lead with one run in the top of the second inning. Junior shortstop Eric Murphy (Brook Park/ Midpark) led off with a walk. After one out, Murphy was erased on a fielder's choice and sophomore center fielder John Taylor (Stow/ Hudson) replaced him on the bases. He moved to second base on a failed pickoff attempt and error and scored when junior All-Ohio Athletic Conference right fielder Alex Green (Pickerington/ North) singled down the right field line.
St. Thomas tied the game at 1-1 with a run in the bottom of the third on three singles.
BW gained a 3-1 lead in the top of the fifth as sophomore 2-time first-team All-OAC second baseman Mark Zimmerman (Akron/ Green) led off with a single and scored on a double by junior All-American first baseman Kyle Chontos (Pickerington/ North) to make it 2-0. With two outs, Murphy singled to left-center to score Chontos for the 3-0 lead.
Undaunted, the Tommies came right back to tie it 3-3 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth on a walk, a run-scoring triple that careened off the left field side wall and by the BW left fielder and a wild pitch.
St. Thomas took a 4-3 lead in the sixth on a hit batsman, a sacrifice bunt, a fly out that the runner tagged and went to third and a single. The Tommies extended their lead to 5-3 with another run in the seventh on a single, stolen base and a Yellow Jacket error.
BW closed the deficit to 5-4 in the ninth. With one out, Zimmerman and Chontos both singled and Handel drove in Zimmerman with a single. But BW could not get the game-tying hit and moved into the loser's bracket.
At the plate, BW outhit St. Thomas, 13-8 The Jackets were led by sophomore designated hitter Hunter Handel (Akron/ Green) who was 4-for-5 with a run batted-in (RBI). Zimmerman was 3-for-5 with a run scored. Chontos was 2-for-5 with a single-season school-record 19th double, run scored and an RBI.
On the mound, senior Cory Waite (Willoughby/ South) started and pitched thev first six innings, allowed six base hits, four runs (all earned), struck out three and walked two. He suffered the loss and fell to 7-3 overall. He was replaced by senior Cory Durbin (Canton/ GlenOak) in the seventh. He pitched two innings, allowed two hits, one run (unearned), struck out one and walked one.
BW advanced to the 2014 Division III World Series and its fifth NCAA Division III national event by placing fourth during the Ohio Athletic Conference regular season and second at the OAC tourney. At last week's NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament, BW defeated host Misericordia (Pa.) University, 8-4, Haverford (Pa.) College, 10-2, Susquehanna (Pa.) University, 4-1, and Wesleyan (Conn.) University, 9-7, in the championship game.
The 2014 NCAA Division III National Championship Game is scheduled for Tuesday, May 27 if the weather cooperates.
FOR MORE BW SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest BW athletics information at www.bwyellowjackets.com and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.