The Misericordia University baseball team took game one of the NCAA D-III Championship Series with a 12-9 win over Wisconsin-Whitewater, Tuesday night in Eastlake, OH.
Gabe Bunn had three hits and scored three runs and Brock Bollinger had three hits and two RBI.Garrett McIlhenney, Jack Regenye, Jason Sanfilippo and Andrew Van Horn all added two RBI.
Matt Lanzendorfer allowed just one unearned run over the final 4.1 innings to earn the win.
Misericordia improved to 43-10 and will play for the first national championship in school history, Thursday at 11:00.
After two quick outs to start the game, the Warhawks got a walk a two-run homer to take a 2-0 lead.
The Cougars stranded Bollinger at second in the bottom of the first, but batted around to score five runs in the second. With one down, Sanfilippo singled through the left side and went to third on Van Horn’s single through the right side.Bunn singled through the left side to get MU on the board.
With two outs, McIlhenney singled up the middle to tie score and move Bunn to third.McIlhenney stole second and Regenye beat out an infield single to give the Cougars a 3-2 lead.Regenye stole second and Bollinger doubled inside the third base bag to drive in a pair of runs for a 5-2 lead.
The Cougars stretched the lead to 10-2 with another five-run rally in the fourth with most of the damage being done with two outs.
Bunn made an over-the-shoulder catch in short right center to end the of the fourth and singled to the same spot to start the bottom of the frame.With two outs, Regenye placed a perfect bunt down the third base line to bring home Bunn.Bollinger lined a single to left field and three straight bases-loaded walks gave the Cougars an 8-2 lead.Van Horn lined a single to center to plate two more runs and make it 10-2.
Whitewater answered with six runs in the top of the fifth to pull within 10-8.
Lanzendorfer allowed a lead-off single in the top of the seventh, but got two straight called third strikes and fly out to end the inning.
The Cougars tacked on an insurance run in the seventh inning.Bunn’s single deflected off the Warhawks pitcher and he scored when McIlhenney lined a 1-2 pitch to center field for an 11-8 lead.
Wisconsin-Whitewater got within 11-9 in the top of the eighth, but the Cougars answered with a run in their half.
Bollinger was hit by a pitch and stole second and went to third on a throwing error.Two outs later, Sanfilippo ripped a single to third base to give MU a 12-9 lead.
Lanzendorfer got a 1-2-3 ninth inning to secure the win.