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Tigers Edge Majors 6-5 with Four-Run Ninth to Win SCAC
Apr 28, 2008
Press Release posted by Millsaps Permalink
DANVILLE, Ky. – After forcing a decisive second game against rival Trinity University in the SCAC Title game on Sunday with a 10-5 win in the opener, junior Stosh Hoover delivered a two-out, two-RBI double to right-center in the bottom of the ninth to cap a four-run ninth inning and propel the No. 1-west seeded Tigers into the NCAA Tournament.
The two teams, which met in the first game of the tournament, played scoreless baseball until the fourth inning. Tait Hendrix singled to start the inning and then Hunter Owen hit his third home run of the day, a two-run shot, to give Millsaps a 2-0 lead. Owen's pair of homers in Game 1 on Sunday broke a single-season school record of 14 set by Garner Wetzel in 2006, with his shot in Game 2 giving him 16 on the year.
The Tigers answered in the bottom half of the inning when Steven Ramos hit a two-run double to centerfield to tie the game at two apiece.
The Majors went back in front in the fifth when senior Derrik Boland drove in senior teammate Hunter Abrams to give Millsaps a 3-2 lead.
The score remained that way until the eighth when Will Hawkins sent a bomb to left-center well over the 425-foot mark that pushed the lead to 4-2. Abrams then added a solo home run in the ninth inning giving the Majors a 5-2 advantage in the final frame.
Trinity opened the bottom of the ninth with a single by Ramos and a walk to pinch hitter Dominick Robusto. Abrams was then brought in to relieve Travis Bogue who came in an inning earlier in relief of starter Drew Maddox. A fielder's choice gave the Tigers runners at first and third with one out. Logan Spiers then pinch hit and grounded out to third with Ramos scoring on the play to cut the lead to 5-3.
Leadoff hitter Kevin Jackson then singled to put runners at first and third again. A single by Dylan Early plated another run and the score was 5-4 with runners on first and second and two outs. Hoover then hit a 2-2 pitch to right center to score two runs, including the winning-run scoring on a close play at the plate when Early dove just outside the outstretched glove of Millsaps catcher Tyler Berry and then quickly crawled to touch the plate after the umpire had signaled no tag.
John Prato Matthews earns the win in relief for the Tigers. Prato Matthews threw the 0.2 of an inning while not allowing a runner to reach base to improve to 3-1. Abrams (1-1) suffered the loss allowing two runs on three hits in 2/3 of an inning.
Early, Hoover and Ramos all had two hits apiece for Trinity. Early scored two runs and drove in another. Hoover drove in the final two runs of the game and Ramos also drove in two runs and scored another. Hendrix and Abrams also collected two hits for Millsaps with Abrams scoring twice and driving in one.
The Majors finish the season with a 29-18 overall record, while Trinity improves to 32-13 and will advance to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since the 2006 season that will be announced on May 11th.
SCAC Baseball Tournament Notes:
Millsaps hit 11 home runs and batted .356 as a team on the weekend... Hunter Abrams became the school's career hits leader with 240 and Hunter Owen set a new single-season school record with 16 homers... Owen hit .600 (12-for-20), Tait Hendrix hit .500 (10-for-20) and three other starters hit above the .400 mark... Millsaps made its fourth-straight SCAC Championship appearance... Coach Jim Page sits at 499 career wins.
The two teams, which met in the first game of the tournament, played scoreless baseball until the fourth inning. Tait Hendrix singled to start the inning and then Hunter Owen hit his third home run of the day, a two-run shot, to give Millsaps a 2-0 lead. Owen's pair of homers in Game 1 on Sunday broke a single-season school record of 14 set by Garner Wetzel in 2006, with his shot in Game 2 giving him 16 on the year.
The Tigers answered in the bottom half of the inning when Steven Ramos hit a two-run double to centerfield to tie the game at two apiece.
The Majors went back in front in the fifth when senior Derrik Boland drove in senior teammate Hunter Abrams to give Millsaps a 3-2 lead.
The score remained that way until the eighth when Will Hawkins sent a bomb to left-center well over the 425-foot mark that pushed the lead to 4-2. Abrams then added a solo home run in the ninth inning giving the Majors a 5-2 advantage in the final frame.
Trinity opened the bottom of the ninth with a single by Ramos and a walk to pinch hitter Dominick Robusto. Abrams was then brought in to relieve Travis Bogue who came in an inning earlier in relief of starter Drew Maddox. A fielder's choice gave the Tigers runners at first and third with one out. Logan Spiers then pinch hit and grounded out to third with Ramos scoring on the play to cut the lead to 5-3.
Leadoff hitter Kevin Jackson then singled to put runners at first and third again. A single by Dylan Early plated another run and the score was 5-4 with runners on first and second and two outs. Hoover then hit a 2-2 pitch to right center to score two runs, including the winning-run scoring on a close play at the plate when Early dove just outside the outstretched glove of Millsaps catcher Tyler Berry and then quickly crawled to touch the plate after the umpire had signaled no tag.
John Prato Matthews earns the win in relief for the Tigers. Prato Matthews threw the 0.2 of an inning while not allowing a runner to reach base to improve to 3-1. Abrams (1-1) suffered the loss allowing two runs on three hits in 2/3 of an inning.
Early, Hoover and Ramos all had two hits apiece for Trinity. Early scored two runs and drove in another. Hoover drove in the final two runs of the game and Ramos also drove in two runs and scored another. Hendrix and Abrams also collected two hits for Millsaps with Abrams scoring twice and driving in one.
The Majors finish the season with a 29-18 overall record, while Trinity improves to 32-13 and will advance to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since the 2006 season that will be announced on May 11th.
SCAC Baseball Tournament Notes:
Millsaps hit 11 home runs and batted .356 as a team on the weekend... Hunter Abrams became the school's career hits leader with 240 and Hunter Owen set a new single-season school record with 16 homers... Owen hit .600 (12-for-20), Tait Hendrix hit .500 (10-for-20) and three other starters hit above the .400 mark... Millsaps made its fourth-straight SCAC Championship appearance... Coach Jim Page sits at 499 career wins.