Joe Munn's home run was his fourth of the season.
Photo by Ashlee Carmody for D3sports.com
First baseman Jeff Donovan clubbed a three-run home for Whitewater to give the Warhawks a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth and Joe Munn's home run broke the back of Chapman in the eighth as UW-Whitewater defeated Chapman 7-4.
UW-Whitewater (41-9) will play the Linfield-Adrian winner on Monday. Chapman (40-5) ends their season. Kyle Redding ends his career with Chapman as the nineteenth player to appear in four championships. "[Four years ago] I was a little nervous and every year you get more comfortable," said Redding. "You try to help the younger guys in what to expect and what to anticipate. It is fun coming back here."
In the UW-Whitewater second, Munn was hit by the pitcher and advanced to second on a Billy Johnson single. Greg Harder would drive in Munn when he singled to center field.
Chapman would get the run back in their time at bat. Ryan Hall singled to right center and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Ryan Prechtl's single to center field would score Hall.
UW-Whitewater would get three runs in the fourth when Jeff Donovan slugged a three-run homerun over the center field wall.
Chapman would scratch out a run in the fifth with the help of two errors but the Warhawks would answer with one of their own on a Munn single to bring the score to 5-2.
In the eighth, Chapman would draw within a run. Prechtl singled through the right side and Kurt Yacko followed up with a double down the left field line, scoring Prechtl on an error by Ben Prather. Yacko would end up at third by a wild pitch and brought home on a sacrifice bunt by Stuart Hyman.
This is as close as the Panthers would get. Munn would take the first pitch he saw from Wadye Kitchens, who relived Jordon Sigman in the seventh, over the centerfield wall. The Warhawks would add an insurance run in the inning to complete the scoring.
Aaron Dott (7-1) gets the win and Jason Hooper got his first save of the year for the Warhawks. Sigman (10-2) took the loss for Chapman.