Stags Baseball Battles Until The End, Falls on Walk-Off Single in Ninth To No. 3 East Texas Baptist

MARSHALL, Texas - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps baseball team battled third-ranked East Texas Baptist in the NCAA Regional Finals with a depleted pitching staff and nearly was able to force a second and deciding game, but the host Tigers were able to win it on a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth from Nick Massarini on Sunday at Woods Field.

The loss ends an historic season for the Stags, who set a program record for wins in a season by finishing 32-15, surpassing the old mark of 30 set in 1972. CMS also reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1996 team went five games with Cal Lutheran. East Texas Baptist improves to 39-8 with the win and moves on to host next weekend's Super Regionals. 

CMS made it to the regional finals by winning two elimination games on Saturday, knocking off Centenary 10-5 and then edging Concordia (Texas) 6-5. The Stags went into Sunday at a disadvantage, needing to win twice, while the Tigers only had to win one game after going through the first two days unscathed at 2-0. 

Going through the loser's bracket requires a lot of pitching depth, and the Stags were missing six pitchers going into the regionals due to injuries. Starters Dominic Rolla and PJ Wendler missed the entire season, while Jake Tracey and Kody Perry were both lost early on (Perry won the SCIAC Pitcher of the Week honor after opening week). CMS also lost starter Jackson Hisey and left-handed releiver Bryant Smaaladen to injuries late in the year. 

The Stags were able to patch it together, with Stryker Scales making his first career start, Andrew Blackett throwing 1.2 innings of relief, and Ethan Hemby tossing 1.1 inning of scoreless relief, coming up huge again for the Stags with 4.2 innings of work at the NCAA Regionals with no earned runs, after only throwing 2.2 innings during the regular season. Parker McGraw, who started the opening game of the weekend against Concordia two days ago, came on in relief in the fifth and battled through four innings of work on short rest, while CMS came back offensively to tie the score 5-5. 

Starter Landry Powell was sharp for the Tigers, striking out 11 in six innings and allowing only four hits. One of the hits was a solo homer from Dillon Martin in the second that cut the lead to 2-1, and another was a big two-run blast from Blaise Heher in the sixth, cutting the ETBU lead to 4-3 in Powell's final inning of work. 

CMS took advantage of some new pitchers, and opened the seventh inning with three straight singles from Jack Potter, Andrew Mazzone and Adam Dapkewicz. Rider Gordon then had an RBI groundout to close the deficit to 5-4, and Tyler Shaw came through with a two-out RBI single to tie it 5-5. 

The Stags threatened in the eighth as Julian Sanders led off with a single, and two walks loaded the bases with two outs, but ETBU pitcher Will Croft left the bases loaded with a popup. The Tigers also led off with a single in the bottom of the eighth, but McGraw got a strikeout and then retired the last two batters on groundouts to send it to the ninth deadlocked. 

Peyton Miller came on in relief for the Tigers and retired CMS in order, and Cameron French hit a one-out single to right in the bottom of the ninth. Pinch-runner Charles Gordon then had a big play when he was able to tag and go to second on a fly out into foul territory that Heher caught against the wall. Heher turned and fired to Shaw at shortstop, but Gordon was just able to elude the tag to get into scoring position. 

That proved to be the difference as Massarini was able to find the hole up the middle with two outs. Potter charged the ball in center field and fielded it cleanly with as much momentum as he could muster, but Gordon, off with the pitch with two outs, had too much speed and was able to beat the throw home for the winning run. 

Shaw and Sanders both had two-hit games in their final contests with the Stags, as Shaw finished 11-for-20 in four games at the regionals (.550) and Sanders ended the year with a program-record 78 hits. The Stags will also lose Dapkewicz, Tracey, Keiran Sidebotham, and Pieter van Wingerden, but will have six starters and most of their pitching returning, and will welcome back several key pitchers from their injujries.