Fisher Eliminates 2014 National Champions At CWS
St. John Fisher College rallied from a 3-0 deficit after the top of the first inning and snapped a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the ninth, as the Cardinals avoided elimination with a 4-3 win over University of Wisconsin-Whitewater early Sunday morning at Fox Cities Stadium in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship College World Series.
With the win, Fisher improves to 39-12 overall, while UW-W, who won the national championship two years ago, finishes its year at 34-17. The Cardinals are now one of six teams left in the double-elimination tournament and will face either Keystone College or LaRoche College at 7:45 p.m. on Sunday night in another elimination game.
The win marked the end of a long day for the Cardinals, who suffered a 16-3 loss to Keystone College in a game that started at 10 a.m. The Fisher-Whitewater game didn't begin until 10:30 p.m. after a rain/lightning delay.
The Warhawks pounded out four hits in the top of the first inning off of starting pitcher
Marc Iseneker to take a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but Fisher would answer.
Joe Simmons delivered a two-out single with the bases loaded in the first to score
Jack Trotman and
Mike Roman.
In the second,
Jack Vivinetto reached on a field error and scored from third on another error, as the Warhawks racked up five miscues in the first two innings.
Both teams, however, would go scoreless for the next six innings. Whitewater's best chance to score came in the ninth inning with runners on the corners and one out.
Closer
Loukas Brigham faced only one batter, but induced a 4-6-3 double-play to end the inning, and ultimately, earn the win.
In the bottom of the ninth,
Cody Wiktorski led off the inning with a double off the fence in center. Pinch hitter
Ryan Prevost was then intentionally walked, and after a wild pitch,
Mike Roman was also intentionally walked to load the bases with no outs.
Cleanup-hitter
Nate Roethel ripped a liner off the pitcher, but the ball was field by the second baseman, who went home to get Wiktorski on a force-out.
Junior outfielder
Malcolm Kelsey then came through for the Cardinals, hitting a slow chopper to short, allowing Prevost to come home and beat the force out.
Simmons finished the game with three hits, while Roethel totaled two hits.
Iseneker went 7.0 innings, allowing five hits and struck out six.
Ryan Felske pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless relief.