St. Thomas hoists its second Walnut and Bronze, winning in the bottom of the 12th.
More photosPhoto by Ryan Coleman, D3sports.com
Dan Leslie singled through the left side with one out in the bottom of the 12th inning, bringing Matt Olson home with the winning run and
giving St. Thomas its second Division III baseball national championship as the Tommies beat Wooster 3-2.
Second game photo gallery.
Despite a heroic performance by Wooster starter Mark Miller, who went the full 11-1/3 innings for the Scots, allowing just three runs, it was Brandon Stone who was the true pitching hero of the second game. He made his first appearance since the MIAC tournament and came up with seven innings of three-hit, shutout relief to earn the win.
Scoreboard.
It was a tournament where the fundamentals mattered, Pat Coleman writes, and the Tommies and Scots each made the little things count. Also, there were
more moments to remember in Appleton than one could count.
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St. Thomas took a 6-4 lead in the top of the ninth in the first game with yet another suicide squeeze and Tommies ace Matt Schuld made it stand up in the bottom half
to send the 2009 Division III baseball season to one final deciding game. Wooster had rallied with three runs to tie it up in the bottom of the eighth at the Division III baseball championship.
First game photo gallery.
St. Thomas scored on a Louie Salmen squeeze bunt in the top of the fourth and added a run on catcher Brady Field's single to take a 2-0 lead. Wooster answered in the bottom of the fifth when Shane Swearingen's double brought home Michael DeBord. The Tommies added two more in the top of the seventh.
